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Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the transverse craniofacial form in families with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCLP). It was hypothesized that affected as well as noncleft NSCLP family members are characterized by a common array of craniofacial features that differ from the general population., Design: This was a prospective cross-sectional investigation that included affected children with NSCLP and their noncleft parents and siblings., Patients, Participants: A total of 114 subjects (14 affected girls, 17 affected girls, 15 unaffected male siblings, 10 unaffected female siblings, 29 unaffected biological mothers, and 29 unaffected biological fathers) were included. Subject records comprised of posteroanterior cephalometric radiographs obtained from all 114 subjects., Main Outcome Measures: The width of midfacial structures, including the orbit and nose, was increased in NSCLP families, compared with published norms. Interestingly, the face was disproportionally wider in relation to total facial height. The transverse craniofacial form of children with or without clefts significantly correlated with that of their parents. Mothers displayed strong correlation with their affected and unaffected sons, whereas fathers correlated to their daughters, suggesting a possible sex-linked developmental influence., Conclusion: Better understanding of the genetic inheritance of craniofacial features associated with cleft lip and palate may ultimately contribute to the development of cleft risk assessment methods.

Objective: It has been suggested previously that increased width of midfacial structures is associated with the development of palatal clefting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of transverse craniofacial asymmetry between children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and their parents. Specifically, we hypothesized that parental transverse craniofacial asymmetry is a risk factor associated with the development of asymmetry in children with UCLP., Design: Retrospective cross-sectional investigation including affected children and their noncleft parents., Patients, Participants: A total of 64 children-parent sets of data (32 child-biological mother + 32 child-biological father) were included. Subject records included posteroanterior cephalometric radiographs obtained from 29 Costa Rican families with UCLP., Main Outcome Measures: The side of parental nasal asymmetry was significantly associated with the side of cleft in their children. For the majority of parents with children suffering from a left cleft, nasal width was larger on the left, compared with the right side. Similarly, in the majority of parents with children suffering from a right cleft, nasal width was larger on the right, compared with the left side., Conclusion: The results suggest that unilaterally increased nasomaxillary width in parents may play a key role in the development of ipsilateral palatal clefting in their offspring, therefore underscoring the importance of craniofacial form as a genetic etiologic factor in the genesis of clefting. Better understanding of the role of craniofacial form in cleft development will ultimately allow for the assessment of risk for cleft lip and palate.

Objective: To assess the relationship of distinct craniofacial features among family members with cleft lip and palate (CLP)., Methods: Lateral cephalometric and anthropometric measurements of the members of 28 Costa Rican families with CLP were analyzed. The distinct craniofacial features in subjects with CLP were identified by comparing their craniofacial measurements with published normative values. The presence of these features was assessed in the unaffected family members. Regression coefficients were computed to evaluate the association of the distinct craniofacial measurements between parents and their offspring with and without CLP., Results: The male and female subjects with CLP were characterized by shortened head (HL), anterior cranial base (S-N), and palatal length (ANS-PNS, A-PNS) measurements as well as hyperdivergent angle of S-N plane to palatal plane (