Facial shape and asymmetry in 5-year-old children with repaired unilateral cleft lip and/or palate: an exploratory study using laser scanning.

To investigate the feasibility of facial laser scanning in pre-school children and to demonstrate landmark-independent three-dimensional (3D) analyses for assessment of facial deformity in 5-year-old children with repaired non-syndromic unilateral cleft lip and/or cleft palate (UCL/P). Faces of twelve 5-year-old children with UCL/P (recruited from university hospitals in Cardiff and Swansea, UK) and 35 age-matched healthy children (recruited from a primary school in Cardiff) were laser scanned. Cleft deformity was assessed by comparing individual faces against the age and gender-matched average face of healthy children.

Reproducibility of airway dimensions and tongue and hyoid positions on lateral cephalograms.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of airway dimensions and tongue and hyoid positions on lateral cephalometric radiographs.

Methods: Three lateral cephalograms each of 30 patients were obtained in natural head positions at 30-minute intervals. Twelve measurements, including pharyngeal airway dimensions and tongue and hyoid positions, were taken.