Isolated influences of lip and palate surgery on facial growth: comparison of operated and unoperated male adults with UCLP.

Our aim was to evaluate the isolated effects of cheiloplasty and palatoplasty on dentofacial morphology. Ninety-three lateral cephalograms of white male adult patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate were analyzed in this study. The sample was divided into three groups according to the surgical treatment received: (1) nonoperated group (NO)-35 patients without surgical treatment; (2) operated lip group (OL)-23 subjects with lip closure only; (3) operated lip and palate group (OLP)-35 individuals with both lip and palatal closure. No statistically significant differences in the cephalometric measurements between the OL and OLP groups were found. There were, however, several significant differences between these two groups (OL and OLP) and the nonoperated group (NO). Thus, the differences in dentofacial morphology in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate, seem to be influenced principally by the surgically repaired lip. Influences of the palatal repair appeared to be minimal and statistically insignificant.