It was concluded that a vertical growth impairment of the maxilla is found in patients with cleft lip and palate. The maxilla of cleft patients shows a significant clockwise rotation, whereas the inclination of the mandible shows little difference. Consequently, there is a skeletal superposition of the jaws. The posterior height of the maxilla is significantly shorter in patients both with UCLP and BCLP at T(0) and T(1). An increase of the anterior height of the mandible is found in the cleft groups.

A vertical growth impairment of the maxilla was registered in patients with cleft lip, alveolus and palate. The maxilla of the cleft patients showed a significant clockwise rotation while the inclination of the mandible remained virtually unchanged. Both upper and lower incisors, which were significantly retruded at the beginning of the late mixed dentition, could be protruded in the course of craniofacial growth, development of the dentition and treatment, but remained retruded in comparison with the non-cleft controls. The posterior midfacial height was highly significantly shorter in both UCLP and BCLP patients at both evaluation timepoints, whereas the anterior lower jaw height was greater than in the control group