Cleft sidedness and congenitally missing or malformed permanent maxillary lateral incisors in Korean patients with unilateral cleft lip and alveolus or unilateral cleft lip and palate

Abstract

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is a common congenital craniofacial deformity. The frequency of clefting is higher in Asian people than other races.1,2 Clefts are caused by the failure of fusion between the medial nasal process and the maxillary process, or between the palatal processes. These failures are the result of genetic and environmental factors.3,4 Dental abnormalities such as hypodontia, malformation, and abnormal eruption pattern occur frequently in cleft patients.5-11 The permanent maxillary lateral incisor (MLI) was of particular interest in studies of cleft patients because of its esthetic and functional role. A congenitally missing MLI on the cleft side is the most common finding in those patients.8,12-16 A supernumerary tooth in the cleft region is the second most common anomaly.8,14,17-19 The patterns of dental anomalies in the cleft area are important for accurate, timely, and effective orthodontic treatment planning. Although there have been many studies on dental