Our results indicated that the primary lip surgery altered the development of dental arches, evidently in children with UCLP. The primary palate surgery interfered in the growth of the anterior palatal region in the UCLP group. Children with UCLP had more restricted development of the maxillary dental arch compared with children with UCL.

Background Cohort studies have evaluated dental arches of children. Aim To evaluate the volumetric, linear, palatal surface area, and the dental arch superimposition of participants with bilateral complete cleft lip (BCL) and bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP) surgically treated in a specialized hospital. Design One hundred and thirty six digitized dental models evaluated before cheiloplasty (T1), after cheiloplasty (T2), and after palatoplasty (T3). The stereophotogrammetry software analysed the volume, palate superimposition, linear, and area measurements. Results In BCL group, at T2, C–C′, T–T′, area, and volume significantly increased (P = .000, P < .000, P = .010 e P = .003, respectively). In BCLP group, the comparison T3 × T1 showed that C–C′ decreased, whereas T–T′ and the area increased (P < .000, P < .000, P = .000). The volume increased at T2, but decreased at T3 (P < .000) in participants with BCLP. The intergroup analysis revealed that C–C′, T–T′, I–C′, and I–C were significantly smaller in participants with BCLP (P < .000, P = .016, P = .001 e P = .020, respectively), whereas the volume, superimposition, and area were statistically similar between groups (P > .05). Conclusion The comparison between bilateral orofacial clefts showed reduction in the transversal and anteroposterior linear measurements, but not in the area and volume, which was confirmed by the superimposition of the dental arches.

This study aimed to use new three-dimensional (3D) anthropometric analyses to verify the post-surgical effects on the maxillary segments of children with unilateral cleft lip and palate. The sample was composed by digitized dental models of 60 children with unilateral complete cleft lip and alveolus (UCLA) and complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). The impressions were taken before cheiloplasty (T1), after cheiloplasty (T2), and after palatoplasty (T3). The 3D anthropometric analyses of digitized dental casts were obtained through a specific software. Intragroup changes were applied paired t test and Wilcoxon test (UCLA group) and for the UCLP group, repeated-measures analyses of variance followed by the Tukey test. For intergroup analyses, an independent t test and Mann-Whitney test were used. The palatal dimensional changes of UCLA group showed that the distances IC, I-T', and I-T significantly increased after cheiloplasty (p = 0.0002, p = 0.0007 and p < 0.0001, respectively). In the UCLP group, the IC' distance statistically decreased in the post-surgical periods (p < 0.0001), while the I-T distance increased (p < 0.0001). The IC distance increased after cheiloplasty (p < 0.0001). The I-T' distance increased between T2 and T3 with statistically significant differences (p = 0.0037). The intergroup analysis of palatal development (T2-T1) showed that the distances IC' and I-T' demonstrated a reduction of the dental arches growth of UCLP group compared with the UCLA group, with statistically significant differences. The new 3D anthropometric analysis showed that the development of the maxillary segments changed after surgical repair. The UCLP group demonstrated a reduction of the dental arches growth compared with the UCLA group.

This study aimed to analyze the dimensional alterations of the dental arches of 5-year-old children with cleft lip and palate and to compare these dimensions with children without oral clefts. One hundred twenty children were divided into the following groups: unilateral cleft lip (UCL), unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), cleft palate (CP), and control (C). A specific software was used to digitize the dental casts and perform the anthropometric analyses through the measurement of transversal linear intercanine and intermolar distances on the maxilla and mandible. The intergroup comparisons of the maxillary dimensions exhibited that the intercanine distances of groups C and UCL were statistically greater than that of groups UCLP and CP. The intermolar distance was significantly smaller in group UCLP than in the other groups. No statistically significant difference occurred in the mandibular intercanine and intermolar distance among groups. The analysis of the superposition of the maxillary over the mandibular transversal distances showed statistically significant differences among groups. This study showed that at 5-year old, the children with cleft involving the palate had more maxillary dimensional alterations than those without cleft palate.

Epidermolysis bullosa comprises a group of uncommon skin-related diseases, characterized by the formation of blisters on mucocutaneous regions occurring spontaneously, following a trauma, exposure to heat, or as a result of minimal mechanical trauma. The dental treatment of the patient with epidermolysis bullosa raises many questions and discussions, due to the difficulty of carrying out the procedures. This report aimed to detail the clinical considerations of the treatment under general anesthesia of a patient with epidermolysis bullosa. The extraction of all deciduous teeth under general anesthesia was recommended based on the clinical and radiographic examinations. At 24-month follow-up, the patient had great improvement in oral hygiene without new caries lesions. The patient has been followed-up at every month for caries lesion prevention and permanent tooth development. The treatment under general anesthesia provided the ideal safe conditions and was beneficial for the patient.