DEVELOPMENT OF OVERJET AND DENTOSKELETAL RELATIONS IN UNILATERAL CLEFT-LIP AND PALATE BEFORE AND DURING PUBERTY

Roentgencephalometry was used for the assessment of the development of clinically important facial characteristics in complete unilateral cl eft lip and palate during the prepubertal and pubertal period. Thirty- one patients aged 8 and 11 years and 30 patients aged 11 and 14 years were examined repeatedly. All of them were operated upon and orthodont ically treated with the same methods. An unfavorable development of fa cial convexity, sagittal jaw relations, configuration of the soft prof ile, and of the prominence of the upper lip occurred during both perio ds. An improvement of overjet that was attained during the prepubertal period showed a renewed impairment during the period of puberty. The impairment was not caused by the higher facial growth rate, but was at tributable to the exhaustion of the compensation and adaptation mechan isms of the dentoalveolar component of the upper jaw produced by the p receding orthodontic therapy. The development of sagittal jaw relation s and of facial rotation was not related to the initial patterns of th ese characteristics, but the possibility of an improvement of the incl ination of upper incisors and of overjet was influenced by their initi al pattern. During the prepubertal period the development of overjet w as not related to the development of sagittal jaw relations or of mand ibular growth rotation, as was the case during puberty.