Palatal Volume in Operated UCLP-vs-BCLP Subjects Using Digital Models

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the palatal volume of operated unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP) subjects using 3D digital dental casts. Also, the effect of timing of palatal surgery on palatal volume was evaluated in UCLP subjects.
Methods: The study was conducted on 51 clefts (34 UCLP, 17 BCLP) and 12 non-cleft control (C) study models in the age group of 6-13 years. The study models were scanned with 3D scanner at a resolution of 10µm. The gingival plane (plane connecting the midpoints of the dentogingival junction of all teeth) and the distal plane (plane connecting the distal most points of the first permanent molars and perpendicular to the gingival plane) were used as the boundaries of the palatal volume. The palatal volume was extracted using Mimics software (Figure 1 & 2). Based on the timing of palatal surgery UCLP was divided into early surgery group (before 18 months, N=15) and late surgery group (after 18 months, N=19). One-way ANOVA with post-Hoc Tuckey test was used to compare the palatal volume between three groups. Also, comparisons were made between UCLP early and late surgery groups using independent t-test.
Results: Significant smaller values of palatal volume were observed in UCLP (P=0.000) and BCLP subjects (P=0.000) compared to controls (Table). The difference between the palatal volume of UCLP early versus delayed surgery groups was non-significant.
Conclusions: The palatal volume of UCLP and BCLP cases was smaller than the control group. Interestingly, the palatal volume of BCLP group was significantly less than the UCLP group. Palatal volumes in both the early versus late palatal repair groups were comparable, suggesting no benefit of delayed surgery on palatal volume.