Facial and Nasolabial Aesthetics of Complete UCLP Submitted to 2-Stage Palate Repair With Vomer Flap

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the aesthetics of nasolabial appearance and facial profile of children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) submitted to 2-stage palate repair with vomerine flap. Design: Retrospective. Setting: Single center. Patients: Forty patients with UCLP, mean age of 7.81 years of both sexes, rehabilitated at a single center by 1 plastic surgeon. Interventions: Lip and anterior palate repair with nasal alar repositioning was performed at 3 to 6 months of age by Millard technique and vomer flap, respectively. Posterior palate was repaired at 18 months by Von Langenbeck technique. Main Outcome Measure(s): Four cropped digital facial photographs of each patient were evaluated by 3 orthodontists to score the nasolabial aesthetics and profile. Frequencies of each score as well means and medians were calculated. Kappa test was used for evaluating inter- and intrarater reproducibility. Results: The nasal form and deviation was scored as good/very good in 70%, fair in 22.5%, and poor in 7.5% of the sample. The nasal–subnasal aesthetic was considered good/very good in 55%, fair in 30%, and poor in 15% of the sample. The lip vermilion border and the white part of surgical scar aesthetics were good/very good in 77.5% and 80%, fair in 17.5% for both categories, and poor in 5% and 2.5% of the cases, respectively. In all, 67.5% showed convex facial profile, 20% was straight, and 12.5% was concave profile. Conclusions: Two-stage palatoplasty presented an adequate aesthetical results for the majority of patients with UCLP in the mixed dentition.