Assessment of Skeletal Age in Children with Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate

OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to assess the skeletal maturity in children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and to compare it with that of the noncleft children. DESIGN AND SETTING It is an institution based study conducted on randomly selected subjects visiting the hospital for consultation and treatment. PARTICIPANTS A total of 60 children with UCLP (25 boys and 35 girls) and 60 noncleft children (30 boys and 30 girls) with normal occlusion in the age group of 10 to 15 years participated in the study. They were classified as younger (10 to 13 years) and older (13 to 15 years) age group and the cervical vertebrae were assessed in lateral cephalograms using Hassel and Farman, modifications of Lamparski's criteria. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Data was analyzed using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS Younger age group children with UCLP showed significant delay in skeletal maturation when compared with the noncleft children, whereas older age group children with UCLP showed a faster rate of skeletal maturation when compared with that of noncleft children but the difference was statistically not significant. CONCLUSION Children with UCLP exhibit delay in attaining skeletal maturation when compared to noncleft children. There is a delay in skeletal maturation at younger age but not in older age group of children with UCLP. How to cite this article: Ravi MS, Ravikala S. Assessment of Skeletal Age in Children with Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2013;6(3):151-155.