3D facial morphometry in children with oral clefts

Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize three-dimensional (3D) facial morphological variation of children with cleft lip and palate compared to an age- and sex-matched control group.

Design: Cross-sectional, case-controlled observational morphometric study.

Materials and methods: Subjects were 103 children aged 8 to 12 years old with cleft lip and palate-40 with unilateral cleft lip and palate, 23 with unilateral cleft lip and alveolus, 19 with bilateral cleft lip and palate, and 21 with isolated cleft palate (ICP)-and 80 sex- and age-matched control subjects. Subjects were scanned using 3D stereophotogrammetry. Thirty-nine landmarks were digitized for each scan, and the x, y, and z coordinates for each landmark were extracted. Linear and angular facial measurements were computed. Multivariate analysis of covariance was undertaken to detect significant differences in facial morphometry between the groups.

Results: Statistically significant differences (P < .05) were observed between all groups. The greatest morphometrical impact was seen in those groups where both lip and palate were affected and repaired; the group with ICP was the most similar to the control subjects.

Conclusions: Significant differences were seen in 3D soft-tissue measurements, mainly in the nasolabial region, between the cleft groups where the lip is affected and the ICP and control groups.