Catch-up growth after skeletal maturity - A case report

Orthodontic problems of a cleft lip and palate patient can be associated with soft tissue, skeletal, or dental defects. Some cleft orthodontic problems have a direct relationship to the cleft deformity, whereas others occur secondary to surgery to repair the defects.[1] A small mandible may prevent the downward relocation of the tongue which may mechanically prevent palatal fusion. This is probably the pathogenic mechanism of the cleft palate in the Pierre Robin syndrome characterized by mandibular hypoplasia.[2] This article describes non-surgical management of a repaired cleft palate with transverse arch deficiency and Class II malocclusion in a vertically growing patient, past the active phase of mandibular growth.