Unilateral cleft lip and palate. Relationship between morphology of the dentition and functional parameters of the tongue.

The relationship between orthodontic and logopedic findings was evaluated with statistical contingency analysis. The investigation was focused on selected dentomorphologic parameters and oral function/malfunction of 100 patients between 3 and 7 years of age with unilateral cleft lip and palate. For further classification into contingency tables "normal" and "abnormal" attributes were defined. Interdependencies between observed findings and their probable frequencies were calculated and represented in diagrams by means of statistical parameters such as the contingency coefficient. Scatterplots of the calculated coefficients showed a characteristic pattern corresponding to clinical experience. While overjet and transversal occlusion are strongly associated with oral functions, overbite tends not to be associated with oral functions. The contingency coefficient calculated from sagittal and transversal orthodontically relevant conditions of occlusion and incorrect tongue position as well as incorrect swallowing tends to be stronger than that of "abnormal" morphologic parameters and an incorrect tongue position during speech. The longitudinal study of lip position and the 3 investigated morphologic parameters revealed strongly associated contingency coefficients.