Congenital missing permanent teeth in Korean unilateral cleft lip and alveolus and unilateral cleft lip and palate patients.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the differences in the congenital missing teeth pattern in terms of tooth type (permanent maxillary lateral incisor [MLI] and maxillary second premolar [MSP]) and sidedness (cleft vs noncleft) between boys and girls in Korean unilateral cleft lip and alveolus (UCLA) and unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study used the charts, models, radiographs, and intraoral photographs of 90 UCLA patients and 204 UCLP patients (ages 6 to 13 years). Binomial test, chi-square test, Fisher exact test, maximum likelihood analysis of variance, and the odds ratio were performed. RESULTS According to the relationship between the congenital missing teeth pattern and the cleft type, the UCLP patients had 2.98 times more missing MLIs and 1.80 times more missing MSPs than did the UCLA patients. The MLI was congenitally missing more in boys than in girls, but the MSP showed the opposite tendency. Boys had a higher frequency of congenital missing MLIs and MSPs on the cleft side than did girls. However, on the noncleft side and both sides, girls had a higher frequency of congenital missing MLIs and MSPs than did boys. Results showed a gender-dominant pattern of congenital missing MLIs and MSPs. CONCLUSION These results suggest that gender and cleft type might affect the congenital missing teeth pattern in terms of tooth type and sidedness.