Growth and Development of Craniofacial Structures in Patients at Different Ages With Unrepaired Submucous Cleft Palate

Characteristics of Factors Influencing the Occurrence of Cleft Lip and/or Palate: A Case Analysis and Literature Review

INTRODUCTION

Cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) stands as the most common congenital facial anomaly, stemming from multifactorial causes.

OBJECTIVE

Our study aimed to ascertain the prevalence and characteristics of cleft palates, identify associated risk factors to inform prevention and prenatal detection for early intervention, and assess postoperative rehabilitation protocols for cleft palates.

DESIGN

This study employs a retrospective descriptive and clinical approach.

PATIENTS

The study includes 103 children with cleft palates treated at the Department of Head and Neck Surgery Clinic for Children and Young Adults, Department of Clinical Pediatrics, University of Warmia and Mazury.

METHODS

We conducted a thorough evaluation of records, considering variables such as sex, cleft type, maternal occupation, parental education, and family history of clefts. Data analysis was carried out using R software version GPL-3 and ordinal logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

Notably, children born to mothers who experienced significant stress during pregnancy exhibited a 9.4-fold increase in the odds of having bilateral cleft palates. Conversely, no substantial evidence was found to support the influence of the child's sex, birth order, body mass, maternal exposure to workplace toxins, infections, or drug toxicity on the dependent variable.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that children with parents who have a history of clefts and those with less educated mothers are more likely to develop bilateral cleft palates. Additionally, children born to mothers experiencing stress during pregnancy face an increased risk of bilateral cleft palates. It is important to note that there is a paucity of literature on rehabilitation following various cleft palate surgical techniques in children.

Cephalometric Soft Tissue Morphology of Adults With Unoperated Submucous Cleft Palate

The aim of this study was to compare craniofacial soft tissue characteristics between subjects with unrepaired submucous cleft palate (SMCP) and noncleft individuals.

This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed on 27 subjects with unrepaired SMCP (13 male and 14 female subjects; mean age, 21.77 ± 4.09 years) and 30 noncleft controls (14 male and 16 female subjects; mean age, 22.67 ± 4.28 years). The predictor variable was cleft deformity. The outcome variable was cephalometric soft tissue measurements. Other study variables were gender and age. Independent samples t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for intergroup comparison. P value was set at .05.

Significant differences were observed in the facial profile angle, total facial profile angle, soft tissue A-N-B angle, nasal base prominence, upper lip length, lower lip protrusion, and the ratio of upper lip length to mentolabial height between subjects with unoperated SMCP and noncleft controls.

The primary deformity of the cleft palate leads to unsatisfactory facial soft tissue morphology, especially in the middle facial region.