Dentoalveolar relations in children born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) in western Australia

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate complete unilateral cleft lip and palate repair outcome in the Cleft Unit in Perth, Western Australia, by assessment of dentoalveolar relationships. Design: This is a retrospective study. Setting: Our subjects were individuals under the care of the cleft team in Perth, Western Australia. Participants: All patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate and available 6-year casts who had been born since January 1, 1985, were identified from the cleft unit's database. The nature of the cleft was verified by examination of birth study models and photographs. A total of 54 such patients were identified. Main Outcome Measures: Main outcome measures were identified through dental arch relationship grading of study models using the 5 Year Old Study Model Index. Results: Interexaminer and intraexaminer agreement kappa statistics revealed good to very good agreement using this index. The results indicate that the surgical outcome was graded as excellent, good, or fair for 77% of patients and poor or very poor for 23% of patients. Conclusions: The results of the Western Australia study compare favorably to the overall U.K. outcome (the Clinical Standards Advisory Group study) but unfavorably to the results of some European centers, such as Oslo.