Comparative Evaluation of Relapse After LeFort 1 Osteotomy in Cleft Palate and Non-cleft Individuals: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess and compare the likelihood of relapse one year after LeFort I advancement surgery in patients with and without cleft lip and palate. Methods: A retrospective observational study which included two groups of participants who underwent LeFort I maxillary advancement was performed. Group 1 included 10 non-cleft subjects and Group 2 included 21 subjects with cleft palate. These maxillary deficient patients were chosen and operated using a technique where only a sagittal displacement was intended. Patients who underwent additional mandibular surgery, significant vertical or transverse alterations, or both were excluded. Pre-operative (T1), immediately post-operative (T2), and minimum one-year follow-up (T3) lateral cephalograms were studied for each group. Skeletal stability and dental stability after LeFort I surgery at a minimum of one-year follow-up in cleft palate and non-cleft patients were evaluated. Results: For the given sample size, relapse tendencies showed statistically significant differences between cleft palate patients and non-cleft palate patients after maxillary advancement. The sella nasion angle and horizontal overlap of the maxillary and mandibular incisors (overjet) decreased by 2 degrees and 0.9 mm respectively in the cleft palate group while decreasing by 1.10 degrees and 0.40 mm in the non-cleft group. Conclusions: After maxillary advancement with LeFort I osteotomy and miniplate fixation in patients with cleft palate and non-cleft patients, some degree of relapse was detected in both groups for the given sample size after one year post-operatively. The cleft palate group displayed additional relapse tendencies when compared to the non-cleft group.