Abstract
Objective:
To evaluate and compare early maxillary growth in 2 groups of patients with repaired bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP) who had and had not received nasoalveolar molding (NAM) therapy in infancy.
Hypothesis:
Nasoalveolar molding does not have any effect on maxillomandibular growth at the early mixed dentition period.
Design:
Retrospective study.
Patients:
The study group consisted of forty-two 7-year-old patients with BCLP—20 in the NAM group and 22 in the no-NAM group. The control group consisted of nineteen 7-year-old noncleft, normal patients.
Interventions:
Nasoalveolar molding was carried out prior to surgeries in those children who were brought in within 8 weeks of birth. Children brought in later were treated without a presurgical intervention. All patients were treated with a single-stage modified Millard cheiloplasty without gingivoperiosteoplasty. Palatoplasty was done by single-stage Bardach palatoplasty with muscle repositioning.
Mean Outcome Measures:
Hard tissue and dental cephalometric values measured on lateral cephalograms, recorded at 7 years of age.
Results:
A comparison of the mean sagittal values showed a statistically significant maxillomandibular retrusion and incisor retroclination of both BCLP groups in comparison to the control group. None of the cephalometric parameters varied statistically between NAM and no-NAM groups. The maxillomandibular relation, lower face height ratio, mandibular plane, and mandibular axis angles did not show statistically significant difference between all 3 groups.
Conclusions:
On the basis of this study, NAM does not have any effect on maxillomandibular growth at the early mixed dentition period.
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