Introduction : A cleft is a congenital defect involving a partial or complete disruption of continuity in the anatomical tissues in places associated with the embryological development of the face. The aim of the study was to assess the extent of facial asymmetry in patients with uni- or bilateral cleft lip and palate.
Materials and methods : Sixty-six patients with a cleft lip and palate (unilateral and bilateral) participated in the study. Three anthropometric measurements were examined: the length of the mandibular shaft (gonion-gnathion – go-gn), and the length (nostril anterius-nostril posterius – na-np) and width (nostril laterale-nostril mediale – nl-nm) of the nostrils. The diversity of asymmetry among the defect types and the relationship between sex, age, and type of cleft (bilateral vs. unilateral) were assessed against indicators of asymmetry. The data were statistically analyzed using Statistica PL (ver. 12, Statsoft, Poland).
Results : Patients with a unilateral and bilateral cleft presented an asymmetry of length and width of the nostrils. The sex and age of the patients and the type of cleft did not affect the asymmetry of the evaluated anthropometric parameters.
Conclusions : There was an asymmetry in the width and length of the nostrils, but the direction of this asymmetry had no relation to the location of the defect. The asymmetry of the width of the nostrils decreased with the age of the patient, regardless of the type of cleft. The cleft lip and palate (unilateral and bilateral) did not intensify the asymmetry of the length of the mandibular shaft. However, the direction of asymmetry in the length of the mandible was dependent on the side of the cleft – in unilateral clefts, the mandibular body usually had a slightly longer length on the healthy side of the face.
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