A comparative cervical verteberal maturity index evaluation of skeletal age in cleft and non-Cleft patients

Children with a cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) inherit multiple complications related to inadequate nutrition, feeding problems and speech impairment. Cleft patient treatment aims to address skeletal and dental disharmony through multidisciplinary care, where skeletal discrepancies in children with CLP may require orthopedic and/or surgical correction. It is important to determine the period of accelerated growth of the relevant skeletal structure to achieve the most favourable response with the least potential morbidity. A retrospective study was conducted for a period of eighteen months in which 102 lateral cephalograms of subjects within the age range of nine to eighteen years were examined to evaluate differences in the cervical vertebrae skeletal maturation. Patients with non- syndromic unilateral/bilateral cleft lip and palate and those without cleft and other systemic disorders were analysed. Fifty-one participants each with and without cleft-palate and lip were recruited in our study. At the age group of 9-13 years, comparison of CVMI status between cleft and non-cleft subjects revealed a statistically significant difference. In the age group of 14 – 18 years, equal distribution was observed in the deceleration stage and maturation stage of cleft and non-cleft groups. More disparity was found in CVMI transition stageThe conducted study indicates statistically significant differences between the skeletal age and chronological age in cleft and non-cleft subjects from the age group of 9-18 years.