Cephalometric Comparisons of Individuals From India and Mexico with Unoperated Cleft Lip and Palate

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine whether the presence of unoperated clefts of the lip and alveolus or cleft lip and palate have similar effects on the dentofacial relationships of individuals with different racial backgrounds. Nineteen individuals from India and eighteen from Mexico with either unoperated unilateral cleft lip and alveolus or unilateral cleft lip and palate were examined cephalometrically and compared to matched normal individuals. The first step in the data analysis was to compare the normal subjects in the Indian and Mexican samples. Because many statistically significant differences were found between the normal groups, each measure for each patient with a cleft was expressed as a percentage of the mean value for the matched normal group. These relative values for the different measures were then entered into analyses of variance to compare the Indian and Mexican groups with clefts. Subgroups with cleft lip and alveolus were analyzed separately from subgroups with cleft lip and palate. Few group comparisons based on the relative measures were statistically significant, thus suggesting that there was a great similarity in the dentofacial relationships of unoperated individuals with the same cleft type. If the present results are further substantiated by future studies, these findings should enable investigators to pool data on unoperat-ed individuals from various sources. Such an approach can lead to a better understanding of the differences between the various cleft types while eliminating the masking effect of surgical or orthodontic treatment. To provide optimal care for individuals with clefts of the lip and palate, clinicians need to understand the separate effects of the cleft and of the surgical repair on the growth of the face and dental arches. 116 dividuals with cleft should enable investigators to explore how the " cleft " face expresses itself when not influenced by surgical repair. The number of individuals with unoperated clefts either in late childhood or in adulthood is, fortunately, rapidly diminishing in most areas of the world. Surgical care is becoming more avail— able to relatively isolated populations. In addi— tion, more people in remote areas are able to seek the necessary care. As a result, there are limit— ed opportunities at present to examine large numbers of individuals with unoperated clefts. A review of the available literature (Bishara, 1985) pointed to the scarcity of scientific information pertaining to the dentofacial relationships