DOI

https://doi.org/10.25772/BM7P-1596

Defense Date

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Dentistry

Department

Dentistry

First Advisor

Bhavna Shroff

Second Advisor

Steven Lindauer

Third Advisor

Aniket Jadhav

Fourth Advisor

Caroline Carrico

Fifth Advisor

A. Omar Abubaker

Abstract

Objective: To determine if patients with cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CLP) with dental correction of the anterior crossbite during growth display differences in alveolar bone thickness around the maxillary central incisors compared to patients without crossbite correction.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated post-treatment cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of growing patients with CLP with anterior crossbites who underwent Phase I orthodontic treatment (n=32). CBCTs were sorted by whether the crossbite was corrected (n=16) or not corrected (n=16) during Phase I. Alveolar bone thickness was measured on the buccal and palatal aspects of the central incisors at 3 mm, 6 mm, and 8 mm apical to the CEJ, and dehiscence length was measured on the buccal and lingual.

Results: Incisors in the correction group displayed significantly thicker bone on the lingual at 6 mm (p=0.0087 sagittal, 0.0094 axial) and 8 mm (p=0.0184 sagittal, 0.0251 axial). At these locations, there was also significantly thicker bone surrounding incisors closer to the cleft in both sagittal (p=0.0340) and axial views (p=0.0064). The interaction was not significant indicating that the difference between cleft and non-cleft sites was not associated with crossbite correction (p=0.6298 sagittal, 0.9069 axial). None of the other locations demonstrated significant differences in bone width or dehiscence length between the correction and non-correction groups.

Conclusion: Correction of the anterior crossbite in growing CLP patients was not associated with adverse effects on the periodontium and can be considered a viable treatment option to improve function and esthetics for patients during adolescence.

Rights

© Katherine Hayes, DDS

Is Part Of

VCU University Archives

Is Part Of

VCU Theses and Dissertations

Date of Submission

5-1-2024

Available for download on Friday, May 01, 2026

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