LONGITUDINAL-STUDY ON 3-DIMENSIONAL CHANGES OF FACIAL ASYMMETRY IN CHILDREN BETWEEN 4 TO 12 YEARS OF AGE WITH UNILATERAL CLEFT-LIP-AND-PALATE

The purpose of the present study was to describe three-dimensional dev elopmental changes of facial asymmetry in children with an operated co mplete unilateral deft lip and palate (UCLP) and in children without c raniofacial anomalies (controls), Using stereophotogrammetry, three-di mensional coordinates for 16 bilateral and 10 midsagittal facial landm arks were determined for the UCLP group (n = 33) and the control group (n = 63) on two occasions, In this mixed-longitudinal study, the chil dren were 4 to 12 years of age, Facial asymmetry and left-right domina nce was measured and resolved for transverse, vertical, and sagittal c omponents, Significant effects were analyzed with multivariate analyse s of variance (MANOVA). We concluded that individuals with complete un ilateral cleft lip and palate, as well as individuals without craniofa cial anomalies, show an increase, during growth, in the amount of faci al asymmetry in the basal region of the nose, In the region that is re lated to the cleft, children with complete unilateral cleft lip and pa late do not show changes in the amount of facial asymmetry between the occasions, Regarding facial left-right dominance and variation in dom inance, no demonstrable growth changes take place in individuals with complete cleft lip and palate, nor in individuals without craniofacial anomalies.