Korean J Orthod.  2013 Jun;43(3):113-119. 10.4041/kjod.2013.43.3.113.

Three-dimensional evaluation of midfacial asymmetry in patients with nonsyndromic unilateral cleft lip and palate by cone-beam computed tomography

• Choi YK
• Park SB
• Kim YI
• Son WS

• KMID: 1975125
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4041/kjod.2013.43.3.113

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To compare three-dimensionally the midfacial hard- and soft-tissue asymmetries between the affected and the unaffected sides and determine the relationship between the hard tissue and the overlying soft tissue in patients with nonsyndromic complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) analysis.
METHODS
The maxillofacial regions of 26 adults (18 men, 8 women) with nonsyndromic UCLP were scanned by CBCT and reconstructed by three-dimensional dental imaging. The frontal-view midfacial analysis was based on a 3 x 3 grid of vertical and horizontal lines and their intersecting points. Two additional points were used for assessing the dentoalveolar area. Linear and surface measurements from three reference planes (Basion-perpendicular, midsagittal reference, and Frankfurt horizontal planes) to the intersecting points were used to evaluate the anteroposterior, transverse, and vertical asymmetries as well as convexity or concavity.
RESULTS
Anteroposteriorly, the soft tissue in the nasolabial and dentoalveolar regions was significantly thicker and positioned more anteriorly on the affected side than on the unaffected side (p < 0.05). The hard tissue in the dentoalveolar region was significantly retruded on the affected side compared with the unaffected side (p < 0.05). The other midfacial regions showed no significant differences.
CONCLUSIONS
With the exception of the nasolabial and dentoalveolar regions, no distinctive midfacial hard- and soft-tissue asymmetries exist between the affected and the unaffected sides in patients with nonsyndromic UCLP.

Keyword

Computed tomography; Cleft lip and palate; Asymmetry; Soft tissue

MeSH Terms

Adult
Cleft Lip
Cone-Beam Computed Tomography
Humans
Male
Palate

Figure

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  Figure 1 Planes parallel to the reference planes and their intersecting points. SH, Superior horizontal; MH, middle horizontal; IH, inferior horizontal; LS, lateral sagittal; MS, middle sagittal; IS, inner sagittal. See Table 1 for the definitions.

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  Figure 2 Linear and surface measurements. A, Distance between the Ba-perpendicular plane and the corresponding hard- and soft-tissue points. B, Distance between the midsagittal reference (MSR) plane and the inner sagittal (IS) and lateral sagittal (LS) planes as well as the most lateral soft-tissue point on each of the vertical lines. C, Distance between the Frankfurt horizontal (FH) plane and the superior horizontal (SH) and inferior horizontal (IH) planes. D, Surface measurements between IS plane and line from inner measurement point to lateral measurement point. See Table 1 for the abbreviations.

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