A LATERAL CEPHALOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF ASSOCIATION OF CLEFT LIP AND PALATE WITH CERVICAL VERTEBRAL ANOMALIES

Generally, orthodontic treatment and intervention are timed to take place before or during the peak growth velocity or pubertal growth spurt to achieve favorable effects in correcting sagittal, transverse, and vertical plane disharmonies. Skeletal maturity and growth spurts have been assessed by several methods in the literature, including chronological age, dental development, and sexual maturation characteristics. All of these methods have limitations, such as poor correlation with growth spurt. Hence based on above findings the present study was planned for A Lateral Cephalographic Evaluation of Association of Cleft Lip and Palate with Cervical Vertebral Anomalies. The present study was planned in Department of Dentistry, Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital, Gaya, Bihar, India. In the present study 20 cases of the age from 5 to 20 years suffered from the cleft lip and Palate were enrolled and evaluated with the different parameters. The radiographs were traced for cervical spine from C1- C4 on an acetate paper with 3H pencil under optimal illumination. Cervical vertebral anomalies were recorded and categorized into posterior arch deficiencies and fusion or both. The data generated from the present study concludes that the association between cleft lip and palate and cervical vertebral anomalies indicates that cervical vertebral anomalies may be implicated as the etiology of cleft lip and palate. As oral and maxillofacial radiologists, lateral cephalographs are easily available in records of dental patients and can be used to identify cervical vertebral anomalies. Cervical vertebral anomalies can predispose to further disorders and identification of such anomalies mandates referral to the concerned specialist for appropriate management. Keywords: Cleft Lip and Palate; Cervical Vertebral Anomalies; Dehiscence; Fusion; Lateral Cephalographs, etc.