Age-related Inferior Turbinate Change In Unilateral Cleft Lip And Palate

Objectives: The dynamic evolution of tissue components in enlarged contralateral inferior turbinate (IT) in children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative proportions of hard/soft tissue of the noncleft side IT in pediatric patients with UCLP at different ages.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted. A total of 104 patients with UCLP (6 to 18 years old) who had received cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan were included in this study. The patients were divided into three groups: early mixed dentition group (6-9 years old), late mixed dentition group (9-12 years old), and early permanent dentition group (12-18 years old). Age and sex-matched children without UCLP were used as controls. After the three-dimensional IT was reconstructed, the total volume of the IT (VT), the volume of bone (VB), and the volume of mucosa (VM) were measured. The intraturbinate ratio (IR) of VB to VM was calculated. VT, VB, VM, and IRs were then compared between the patients and controls for each age group. The parameters were also compared among different age groups.
Results: It was found that VT, VB, and VM of the noncleft side IT in patients with UCLP were all significantly higher than those in controls within each age group (P<0.05). The highest values of VT, VB, and VM were observed in the early permanent dentition group whereas the lowest values in the early mixed dentition group with a significant difference (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the IRs of the noncleft side IT in patients with UCLP and those in controls in each age group (P>0.05). The highest and the lowest values of IR of the IT was observed in the early permanent dentition group and the early mixed dentition group accordingly with a significant difference in both the patients and normal children (P<0.05).
Conclusions: Our results revealed that both physiological development and compensatory enlargement contribute to the overgrowth of the noncleft side IT during childhood in patients with UCLP. Moreover, our study demonstrates that the relative proportion of bony tissue in noncleft side IT increases through the mixed dentition and early permanent dentition period.