Maxillary and Mandibullary Arch Width in Unoperated Adult BCLA Patients

Early operated patients with Bilateral Cleft Lip and Alveolus (BCLA) often develop maxillary hypoplasia, and position of the alveolus and teeth also impaired, eventhough BCLA is a rather mild form of cleft. Objectives: The aims of this study is to measure tranversal arch width of the maxilla and mandible to establish whether there is any influence of the BCLA on the normal development of the maxilla and mandible. Methods: 18 dental cast of BCLA patients and 24 dental cast of non cleft selected at random from normal surrounding population were digitised with 3–D Coordinate Measuring Machine (-CCM) from Carl Zeiss Numerex, Germany, the linear accuracy is up to 0.002 mm. Mean and standard deviations were calculated for tranverse dimension of the maxilla and mandible. The t-test were conducted in this study. Level of significance was set at p<0.05. Result: In the maxilla, the mean value of BCLA compare to control group are in essence close to each other. Statistically there is no significant different from the secod molar until first premolar between the BCLA and control group. Only at the level of canine, the intercanine width was significantly smaller in BCLA group. In the mandible, statistically there is no difference between the cleft group and non cleft group. Conclusions: We may concluded that the cleft as congenital malformation has a significant influences in the final development of the dento-alveolar of the maxilla only in the canine. The compression at the canine may be attributed to the absence of the lateral incisors.