Do Tunisian children with unilateral cleft lip and palate differ from normal individuals in dental maturity? A pilot study.

Introduction: Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is the most common congenital malformation of the head and neck. Children with CLP often exhibit dental anomalies.

Aim: To evaluate the dental age (DA) of unilateral CLP in Tunisian children.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in the department of pediatric dentistry at the University Hospital La Rabta, Tunis. Patients aged between 5 and 14 years, with no other congenital anomalies or syndromes in the craniofacial region other than CLP, were included. The patients' chronological ages were first calculated in years and months. DA was assessed in panoramic radiographs using Demirjian's method. The score of each stage is allocated, and the sum of the scores provides an evaluation of the subject's dental maturity.

Results: Fifty-three patients were included in the present study. No difference was observed between the two groups regarding the dental age. A strong and positive correlation between the DA and the chronological age in the two groups was observed (r=0.826). Estimated regression showed that chronological age alone explained 57,4% (r2=0.574) of the dental age variation in the study group and 64.5% (r2=0.645) in the control group.

Conclusion: For dental management, CLP children should have the same approach in orthodontics and pediatric dentistry as individuals without clefts, with a focus on the individualization of diagnosis and treatment planning.