Stereophotogrammetry to evaluate young adults with and without cleft lip and palate after orthodontic and restorative treatment

Author(s)

Soares, Simone ; Pucciarelli, Maria Giulia Rezende ; Toyoshima, Guilherme Hideki de Lima ; Oliveira, Thais Marchini

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY; v. 128, n. 3, p. 6-pg., 2022-09-01.

Abstract

Statement of problem. Patients with cleft lip and palate generally present with lateral incisor agenesis, which may be treated with an implant-supported prosthesis. However, whether implants can stabilize the dental arches in patients with cleft lip and palate is unclear.Purpose. The purpose of this retrospective clinical study was to analyze the stability of the maxillary dental arch after orthodontic treatment and oral rehabilitation in the cleft area with an implant -supported prosthesis or a fixed partial denture.Material and methods. Fifty-five participants, 20 with unilateral cleft lip and palate rehabilitated with implants (CLPI), 15 with unilateral cleft lip and palate rehabilitated with fixed partial dentures (CLPFP), and 20 in the noncleft group (NCLP) and their gypsum casts (N=110) were digitized and evaluated through 3D stereophotogrammetry. Measurements were made on casts obtained immediately after the orthodontic treatment (T1); for the cleft lip and palate group, casts were made 1 year after implant-supported restoration placement (T2), and for the noncleft group, 1 year after the conclusion of the orthodontic treatment (T2). The dimensions of the dental arches were measured digitally. Formula D=T2-T1 evaluated the stability of dental arches for intercanine distances, intermolar distances, arch length, palate surface, and volume (3D). Stability (D) was compared through 1-way ANOVA in all groups (a=.05).Results. A statistically significant difference was found in the stability of the CLPI and CLPFP groups for intercanine measurement (P=.002). For the intermolar measurement, a statistically significant difference was detected between the CLPFP and NCLP groups (P=.002). From the 3D measurements, the stability was similar in all groups.Conclusions. In patients with clefts, a fixed partial denture may provide better stability of the orthodontic outcomes than an implant-supported prosthesis. However, greater instability occurred at the molar area. (J Prosthet Dent 2022;128:355-60) (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/14942-6 - 3D longitudinal evaluation of the stability of the dental arches in cleft and non cleft patients before and after orthodontic treatment and prosthetic rehabilitation.
• Grantee: Simone Soares
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants