Abstract
Unilateral conditions of cleft lip and palate consistently show an associated skeletal deformity of which maxillary displacement, pre-maxillary distortion and malformation of the nose are prominent fea— tures. It is thought that the cleft condition, embryologically, represents a relatively minor failure of development and that the skeletal deformity is not part of the original affliction, but rather that it is superimposed upon the facial structure during subsequent development. While a clear understanding of the pathogenesis of the skeletal deformity is apparently essential in the interests of treatment, present day opinion is divided about its cause and little is known of its mode of development. A detailed histological investigation of the problem was therefore carried out on human specimens of different ages having the unilateral cleft condition. The range of the study was extended by comparison of findings with published descriptions of cleft palate specimens representing other stages of development. As well as inquiring into possible causes, attention was given to the related problems of the time of onset and rate of development of the skeletal deformity.
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