X-Ray Density of Bone Tissues of the Dentognathic Apparatus in Children With Congenital Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate

Abstract

Relevance: Physico-mechanical characteristics of the bone tissue of the jaws, in particular its density, determine the efficacy of orthodontic interventions and are a determining parameter when calculating the forces acting on the tissue via orthodontic appliances. Hounsfield X-ray attenuation scale (HU) was used to quantify density during computed tomography. The aim to analyze the X-ray density of bone tissue of the upper jaw in children with congenital unilateral cleft lip and palate using the method of computed tomography of the skull. Materials and methods: The subject of the analysis were measurement data of the X-ray density of bone tissues of the upper jaw of 42 children in the areas that correspond to the maximum stress under the influence of orthodontic appliances. Results: It was clinically established that among all patients included in the study group, cases with left-sided clefts quantitatively dominate over right-sided ones. The results of measurements in the younger age group at the points of intersection of the compact plates of the floor of the maxillary sinus and the zygomatic alveolar ridge (ZAS and ZAI) indicate that the density is 16.6% higher on the healthy side than on the cleft side; 17.6% higher on the healthy side in the most concave points of the nasolabial buttress (NS and NI); and 14.9% higher on the healthy side at the junction of the compact plate of the hump of the upper jaw and the sphenoid bone (TSS and TSI). The zygomatic process of the upper jaw at the level of the zygomatic-maxillary suture (ZZS and ZZI) is the only site where the results on the healthy side and the cleft side did not show a statistically significant difference