Prevalence of Palatal and Alveolar Cysts in Babies with Cleft Lip and Palate

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of palatal and alveolar cysts in babies with cleft lip and/or palate. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of São Paulo (HRAC-USP), Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil. Participants Two hundred ninety-one Caucasian babies divided into four groups according to the type of cleft: cleft lip with or without cleft alveolus (70), complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (112), complete bilateral cleft lip and palate (56), and cleft palate (53). Results A low prevalence of palatal and alveolar cysts was observed among patients with the four different types of clefts, with no statistically significant difference between genders. The maxilla and the anterior area of the mouth were more affected than the mandible and the posterior area. Conclusions The low prevalence of palatal and alveolar cysts in the four groups of babies with clefts included in this study may have been due to the high mean age of the sample.