Anteroposterior and vertical maxillary changes with facial mask use in patients with unilateral cleft lip palate sequelae from General Hospital «Dr. Manuel Gea González

Resumen

Cleft lip and palate is a congenital malformation which can affect breathing, swallowing, language articulation, audition and voice. These patients show an insuffi cient maxillary growth and a class III skeletal malocclusion due to maxillary retrusion. Orthopedic treatment of the unilateral cleft lip and cleft palate patient by means of a facemask during the right time can stimulate maxillary growth. This study reviewed 90 clinical charts (pre and post treatment) of patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and cleft palate, treated from 1996 to 2007 with rapid palatal expansion through an occlusal acrylic plate and facemask at the Orthodontic Department, General Hospital «Dr. Manuel Gea González» in Mexico City. To evaluate the sagittal and vertical maxillomandibular change the student’s T test, Wilcoxon test and χ2 test (SPSS v.10) were used. Our results show that the use of this appliance increases vertical dimension and reduces maxillomandibular discrepancy due to downward and forward growth of the maxilla.

Key words: Cleft lip and palate, facemask.