Bone-anchored maxillary protraction in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate: Is maxillary expansion mandatory?

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of bone-anchored maxillary protraction (BAMP) in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and whether it was enhanced when preceded by maxillary expansion. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 28 growing children (9-13 years old) with UCLP and Class III malocclusion. They were divided into two equal groups. In group I, patients were treated with BAMP not preceded by maxillary expansion. In group II, patients were treated with BAMP preceded by maxillary expansion. To assess treatment changes in three dimensions, Conebeam computed tomography images were taken 1 week after surgical placement of the miniplates (T1) and after 9 months of treatment (T2). Results: BAMP produced forward movement of the maxilla in both groups (3.17 mm) and (3.37 mm) respectively, without significant differences between the two groups except for clockwise rotation of the palatal plane in group I (1.6 degrees). Conclusions: BAMP is an effective treatment modality for correcting midface deficiency in patients with UCLP whether or not maxillary expansion was carried out.