To investigate the craniofacial morphology of Malay children with repaired UCLP and compare the data with non-cleft Malay children.
Twenty Malay children with repaired UCLP (12 boys, 8 girls; Mean age: 10.5 years) and 20 normal Malay children (8 boys, 12 girls; Mean age: 9.72 years) were recruited from the Combined Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic and the Department of Children’s Dentistry and Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, Malaysia. Lateral cephalometric radiographs were taken with the head orientated parallel to the floor. Thirty-one linear and angular variables were measured on the lateral cephalometric radiographs with Dolphin Imaging Software Version 10.0 (Dolphin Imaging, Chatsworth, CA, USA). The data were analysed with the Mann-Whitney U test and the level of significance was set at
In the UCLP group, the girls had deeper overbites than the boys (
Malay children with repaired UCLP have small, retrusive maxillae. The mandible in this group of children was of normal size and position, relative to the cranial base. Pressure from the repaired upper lip may be responsible for the retruded maxillae, retroclined incisors and obtuse nasolabial angle.