3D asymmetry of operated children with oral clefts.
OBJECTIVES
To explore three-dimensional (3D) facial asymmetry differences in operated children with oral clefts and to compare the results with a control group.


SETTING AND SAMPLE POPULATION
The sample comprised one hundred and three 8- to 12-year-old children: 40 with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP); 23 with unilateral cleft lip and alveolus (UCLA); 19 with bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP); 21 with cleft palate (CP) and 80 sex- and age-matched controls living in the North East of England.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
3D stereophotogrammetric facial scans were recorded for each participant at rest. Thirty-nine landmarks were recorded for each scan. The x, y and z coordinates for each landmark were extracted. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were conducted to identify 3D landmark asymmetry differences between the groups.


RESULTS
Statistically significant differences were observed between all the groups. The UCLP and UCLA patients displayed the greatest asymmetry, followed by the BCLP group. The CP group was the least asymmetric among the cleft groups. Asymmetry was present to a lesser extent in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Shape analysis indicates the possible differences in the aetiology and growth pattern of the CP group compared to UCLA or UCLP and BCLP groups.
['Bugaighis|I|I|', 'Mattick|C R|CR|', 'Tiddeman|B|B|', 'Hobson|R|R|']
D059925:Anatomic Landmarks D016022:Case-Control Studies D002508:Cephalometry D002648:Child D002680:Chin D002971:Cleft Lip D002972:Cleft Palate D004431:Ear, External D005146:Facial Asymmetry D006801:Humans D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional D008046:Lip D055171:Nasal Cartilages D009666:Nose D009915:Orbit D010780:Photogrammetry
asymmetry cleft lip and palate shape analysis 3D imaging