Correlation between cleft volume and cant of occlusal plane in patients with unilateral cleft lip and plate

Introduction: Cleft lip and palate are the second most common congenital abnormalities with several functional, esthetics and psychological problems. One of the most important aspects of recognizing symmetry in dental to lip relation, while making proper treatment plan is noting whether an up- down transverse rotation of dentition is revealed when the patient smiles or the lips are separated at rest. This is often called a transverse cant of occlusal plane. The purpose of this study is measuring cant of occlusal plane with dolphin software to assess the correlation between cant of occlusal plane and cleft volume. Methods: The CBCT of 70 patients with UCLP were selected who were treated with cleft lip and palate repair surgery within 3 to 18 months after birth. The CBCT scans had been obtained after the orthodontic expansion and before the alveolar grafting surgery and canine eruption. The cleft volume was measured using Mimics software and cant of occlusal plane was measured by Dolphin software. Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between variables. Results : There was a significant correlation between cant of occlusal plane and the volume of the cleft in both two and three the dimensional mode with different measurements according to the different anatomic land marks such as CEJ and Incisal edge. Conclusion : The results suggest that there was a significant correlation between Cant of occlusal plane and Cleft volume.