STUDY MODELS OF 5-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN AS PREDICTORS OF SURGICAL OUTCOMEIN UNILATERAL CLEFT-LIP AND PALATE

This study examined features of dental occlusion in patients born with a unilateral cleft tip and palate (UCLP). The intention was to develo p a 'Goslon type' index for 5 year old children. The Goslon ranking sy stem was used on longitudinal study models taken at 5 and 10 years of age of the same patients. All patients had UCLP and this had been repa ired using a Millard type lip repair and a Veau Wardill or Von Langenb eck palatal closure. There was good intra-examiner agreement for ascri bing 5 and 10 year old models to one of five categories (excellent-ver y poor). inter-examiner agreement on both sets of models was at worst moderate. Two of the examiners identified up to 93 per cent of 5 year old models which either remained in the same category or deteriorated by 10 years of age. At worse the results demonstrated 70 per cent of c ases at 5 years of age remained in the same category or deteriorated b y 10 years of age. Consensus agreement has produced five categories of outcome for these 5 year old models. This new index is to be subjecte d to further validation. This study has therefore provided, for the fi rst time, a mechanism for assessing the results of CLP surgery earlier than indices already available.