Objective: To evaluate the long-term changes in maxillary arch widths, overjet, and overbite in patients who were treated with rapid maxillary expansion (RME) followed by edgewise appliances. Materials and Methods: The material for the study consisted of study casts taken from 41 patients (19 males, 22 females) on four different occasions (before treatment, T1; after RME, T2; after treatment, T3; and during follow-up period, T4). The upper intercanine, interpremolar, and intermolar widths and overjet and overbite were measured on each set of study casts. Mean age of the subjects was 13.2 Ϯ 1.3 years (range, 11.2-16.9 years) at T1, 13.3 Ϯ 1.3 years (range, 11.3-17 years) at T2, 15.5 Ϯ 1.4 years (range, 13.1-18.8 years) at T3, and 20.4 Ϯ 1.6 years (range, 17.9-24.8 years) at T4. Results: The net increase in intercanine width, interpremolar width, intermolar width, overjet, and overbite was 1.4 Ϯ 2.4 mm, 4.6 Ϯ 2.6 mm, 4.3 Ϯ 2.5 mm, 0.1 Ϯ 0.6 mm, and 0.2 Ϯ 0.6 mm, respectively, and the relapse rates were 37% for intercanine width, 19% for interpremolar width, and 17% for intermolar width at the end of the follow-up period. Conclusions: A significant amount of relapse occurred in maxillary arch widths at the postretention assessment, the greatest being in intercanine width. RME significantly decreased overbite and increased overjet, and a statistically significant decrease was observed in both overbite and overjet at the postretention assessment. (Angle Orthod. 2010;80:5-9.)

The objective of the study was to compare the craniofacial characteristics of children with operated unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (UCLP) with those of noncleft children. Lateral and posteroanterior cephalometric radiographs of subjects with UCLP and controls who were matched for sex, age, and ethnic origin were analyzed and compared. There were a total of 21 subjects with UCLP (10 boys and 11 girls) from the Orthodontic Department of Selcuk University and 15 controls (7 boys and 8 girls) from the Orthodontic Department of Ankara University. The nasal bone length in the group with cleft did not differ significantly from that in the control group. Subjects with UCLP included in the study appeared to have shorter faces, smaller mandibulae, greater lateral orbital width, and smaller sella turcicae compared with controls. Unilateral cleft lip and palate affects the intracranial morphology as well as dentofacial structures.