Intraoral Scanning Evaluation of Maxillary Arch Changes after Modified Sommerlad Palatoplasty for around Three Years.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate dental arch changes after modified Sommerlad palatoplasty in patients with cleft palate by intraoral scanning technique in children with early deciduous dentition.
Methods: This study included 60 patients with nonsyndromic unilateral complete cleft lip with palate or cleft palate only treated by modified Sommerlad palatoplasty without relaxed excision before 18 months of age and 95 healthy controls without cleft. Three-dimensional images of the maxillary dental arches of all participants at age 3 to 4 years were obtained by intraoral scanning technique. Seven parameters (anterior dental arch width, middle dental arch width, posterior dental arch width, anterior palatal arch width, posterior palatal arch width, anterior dental arch length, and entire dental arch length) were measured.
Results: Compared with the male group, the posterior palatal arch width distance of controls in the female group decreased significantly ( P = 0.039), and the middle dental arch width, posterior dental arch width, and posterior palatal arch width distance of female patients decreased ( P = 0.013, P = 0.002, P = 0.005, respectively). The anterior dental arch length and entire dental arch length distance of children in the unilateral complete cleft lip with palate group was shorter than those of children with cleft palate only ( P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, respectively). The patient group showed decreased distance of anterior dental arch width, anterior palatal arch width, anterior dental arch length, and entire dental arch length, and increased distance of posterior dental arch width and posterior palatal arch width compared with the control group ( P = 0.0002, P = 0.002, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, P = 0.007, P = 0.027, respectively).
Conclusion: The results indicated that the modified palatoplasty group showed no growth inhibition in the middle or posterior dental arch width, or palatal arch width, but slight but significant inhibition in the length of the anterior and entire dental arch.
Clinical Question/level of Evidnce: Therapeutic, IV.
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