ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: We evaluated the 3-dimensional craniofacial skeletal and pharyngeal airway morphology in growing patients with and without cleft lip and palate. METHODS: Our juvenile subjects consisted of 34 girls (ages, 9-12 years); 15 had cleft lip and palate, and 19 did not. The adolescent subjects consisted of 32 girls (ages, 13-17 years); 14 had cleft lip and palate, and 18 did not. Each subject was examined with cone-beam computed tomography. The dimensions of the craniofacial skeleton and pharyngeal airway were measured. The Scheffé method of multiple comparisons was used to identify relationships among skeletal and pharyngeal variables. RESULTS: The pharyngeal airway and mandibular size variables did not differ significantly between the juvenile and adolescent cleft lip and palate groups. Significant differences were observed between each cleft lip and palate group and its corresponding control group. FHN-A, FHN-B, FH-NA, FH-NB, and Co-Me were significantly smaller in the cleft lip and palate groups than in the corresponding control groups. Anteroposterior and lateral widths, heights, and volumes of the superior oropharyngeal airway were significantly smaller in the adolescent cleft lip and palate group than in the adolescent controls. CONCLUSIONS: The mandible and the oropharyngeal airway were larger in the adolescent controls than in the juvenile controls without cleft lip and palate, but there were no significant differences between the adolescent and juvenile patients with cleft lip and palate.
Subject(s)
Cleft Palate/pathology , Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods , Mandible/pathology , Maxillofacial Development , Pharynx/pathology , Adolescent , Analysis of Variance , Asian People , Case-Control Studies , Cephalometry , Cervical Vertebrae/diagnostic imaging , Cervical Vertebrae/growth & development , Child , Cleft Lip/pathology , Cleft Lip/surgery , Cleft Palate/diagnostic imaging , Cleft Palate/surgery , Cone-Beam Computed Tomography , Epiglottis/anatomy & histology , Epiglottis/diagnostic imaging , Epiglottis/pathology , Female , Humans , Japan , Mandible/anatomy & histology , Mandible/diagnostic imaging , Nasal Cavity/anatomy & histology , Nasal Cavity/diagnostic imaging , Nasal Cavity/pathology , Oropharynx/anatomy & histology , Oropharynx/diagnostic imaging , Oropharynx/pathology , Palate, Soft/anatomy & histology , Palate, Soft/diagnostic imaging , Palate, Soft/pathology , Pharynx/anatomy & histology , Pharynx/diagnostic imaging , Radiography, Dental, Digital , Statistics, NonparametricABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Traditionally, lateral and frontal cephalograms are used with facial photographs to evaluate a patient's maxillofacial skeletal and facial soft-tissue morphology. However, the enlargement and distortion of 2-dimensional radiography made it difficult to accurately conceptualize the patient's anatomy. The purpose of this article was to introduce a new method for comparing 3-dimensional (3D) standard values of the maxillofacial skeletal and facial soft-tissue morphology before and after orthognathic surgery. METHODS: Normative 3D standard values of the maxillofacial skeletal and facial soft-tissue morphology were calculated from normal women. The pre- and postoperative morphology of one woman who underwent orthognathic surgery was compared with the normative data. RESULTS: This 3D analysis has clinical value to evaluate patients before and after surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This quantitative assessment of 3D maxillofacial morphology can evaluate the area and degree of displacement and rotation of the facial skeleton and facial soft tissues. This method is sufficiently useful for routine clinical applications.
