Objective: To evaluate the pulp vitality in teeth adjacent to the cleft area submitted to orthodontic movement into the alveolar graft area in individuals with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (CUCLP).
Design: Cold sensitivity, vertical, and horizontal percussion tests were conducted on the teeth adjacent to the cleft and the contralateral teeth.
Setting: Endodontics Sector in the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of São Paulo (HRAC/USP).
Patients: One hundred patients with CUCLP and hypodontia of the upper lateral incisor in orthodontic movement and after successful alveolar bone graft in the cleft area.
Main outcome measures: The cleft study group (SG) was composed of 200 teeth, adjacent to the cleft area. The control group (CG) consisted of 200 contralateral teeth. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test for comparisons between groups (P < .05).
Results: In the SG, 82.0% of teeth presented positive response to the cold sensitivity testing, 13.5% had negative response, and 4.5% had marked response, with statistically significant difference in relation to the CG. The vertical and horizontal percussion tests on teeth in the SG revealed the same results, in which 95.0% presented negative response and 5.0% responded positively, without significant difference compared to teeth in the CG, for both tests.
Conclusions: Teeth adjacent to the cleft area presented changes in the physiological conditions of the pulp, which were observed by reduction of positive response to the cold sensitivity testing or presence of pulp hypersensitivity in cases of marked response.
Keywords: endodontics; lip cleft; lip palate; orthodontics.