Three Dimensional Finite Element Analysis of Maxillary Palate with a Unilateral Cleft

INTRODUCTION Cleft lip and palate is the most common congenital craniofacial deformity. Up to 80 % of this population has a skeletal defect. While the surgical procedures for reconstructing the skeletal defects in children with facial clefts is well established [1, 2], it remains unclear how the cleft leads to the alteration in the stress/strain distribution within the maxillary palate, the alveolar arch and the midfacial skeleton. Our preliminary study revealed that unilateral cleft leads to non-uniform, asymmetric stress/strain distribution within the maxillary skeleton during functional tasks [3]. The aim of the current study was to verify such hypothesis that the size (depth and width) of unilateral cleft affects the severity of the non-uniform stress/strain distribution within the mid-facial skeleton.