CONE-BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY EVALUATION OF PHARYNGEAL AIRWAY DIMENSIONS AND CRANIOFACIAL STRUCTURES IN PATIENTS WITH UNILATERAL COMPLETE CLEFT LIP AND PALATE

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the pharyngeal airway dimensions and craniofacial structures of patients with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate and compared the results with a control group of skeletal class I patients. This retrospective study used cone-beam computed tomography images of 90 patients between 2018 and 2022. The participants were divided into 2 groups: a unilateral cleft lip and palate group (45 patients) and a non-cleft control group (45 patients), frequency matched to cases according to gender, age, and cervical vertebral maturity. Data were collected and statistically analyzed using the independent t test with a confidence level of 95%. This study found that the cleft group had significantly lower SNA, SNB, and Co-A, and higher H-FH than the normal group (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the pharyngeal airway volumes and minimum cross-sectional area between the left- and right-sided cleft patients. In addition, no statistically significant differences in the upper airway dimensions were found between sexes within each group. However, the cleft patients had a significantly lower oropharyngeal airway volumes (p<0.001) and minimum cross-sectional area (p<0.05) compared to the normal patients.