Tooth Abnormalities In Individuals With Unilateral Alveolar Clefts: A Comparison Between Sides Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography.

Background: Tooth abnormalities are most often present in individuals with oral clefts than general population, and lead to a long-term impact on facial anatomy and self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to compare the proportion of dental anomalies between the cleft side and non-cleft side in individuals with non-syndromic unilateral alveolar clefts (AC).

Material and Methods: Twenty cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were converted into three-dimensional (3D) virtual models. The dental anomalies considered were: tooth agenesis; supernumerary teeth; giroversion; and microdontia. Statistical analysis was performed using the McNemar's test and Fisher's exact test ( p <0.05).

Results: Statistically significant differences were not found either between the prevalence of individuals with dental abnormalities on the non-cleft side and the sides of the AC ( p = 1.00), or sex ( p = 0.36). Tooth agenesis was the most prevalent dental anomaly (55.6%). On the cleft side the lateral incisor was tooth most involved by dental anomalies; and the second premolar was the most affected on the non-cleft side.

Conclusions: This study showed a high frequency of dental anomalies in the cleft individuals and indicated that the side of AC and sex do not interfere in the proportion of dental anomalies on non-cleft side. Key words: Cone beam computed tomography, Hypodontia, Tooth abnormalities.