A Cleft-Customized Occlusal Rating System to Assess Orthodontic Occlusal Improvement in Patients With Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to develop a new method to quantify occlusal improvement in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) who had undergone orthodontic treatment and to evaluate its reproducibility. Design: A panel of orthodontists decided on the relevance of different occlusal features to score initial and final 3-dimensional study models and panoramic radiographs. A subsequent subjective analysis was later performed by a local orthodontic panel. Setting: The sample was obtained from the orthodontic clinical archives of a hospital known for the treatment of patients with craniofacial differences. Patients: Thirty-one nonsyndromic patients, 17 males and 14 females, were randomly selected according to preestablished inclusion/exclusion criteria. Interventions: The records corresponded to the period during which the patients were treated with conventional multibracket mechanics and adjunctive restorative procedures. Main Outcome/Measures: The intraclass correlation coefficient measured intraexaminer and interexaminer agreements. The Spearman correlation test assessed the relationship between the local orthodontic panel perception and the improvement scores. Results: Inter- and intra-rater ICCs varied between fair/good to excellent. There was a strong correlation between the Cleft-Customized Occlusal Rating system classification of occlusal improvement and the local orthodontic panel’s perception, thereby enabling the utilization of the interpretation scale by the panel. Conclusions: The method showed to be a useful tool in quantifying and classifying occlusal improvement in this specific population. As any other method, some limitations apply and need to be accounted for.

A clinical trial comparing the occlusal parameters and wear of artificial teeth between lingualized and anatomical occlusal complete dentures

“…Digital occlusal analysis played important roles in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis evaluation in the eld of prosthodontics [5,8,9], orthodontics [10], implants, maxillofacial surgery [11], which could scienti cally and objectively depict the restoration of oral function. The number, location, and size of occlusal contact sites, bite force, bite force distribution center, and balance of occlusal contact points were all assessed after the images were acquired and analyzed by the software [12].…”