A Scandcleft randomised trials of primary surgery for unilateral cleft lip and palate: 1. Planning and management.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Longstanding uncertainty surrounds the selection of surgical protocols for the closure of unilateral cleft lip and palate, and randomised trials have only rarely been performed. This paper is an introduction to three randomised trials of primary surgery for children born with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). It presents the protocol developed for the trials in CONSORT format, and describes the management structure that was developed to achieve the long-term engagement and commitment required to complete the project. METHOD: Ten established national or regional cleft centres participated. Lip and soft palate closure at 3-4 months, and hard palate closure at 12 months served as a common method in each trial. Trial 1 compared this with hard palate closure at 36 months. Trial 2 compared it with lip closure at 3-4 months and hard and soft palate closure at 12 months. Trial 3 compared it with lip and hard palate closure at 3-4 months and soft palate closure at 12 months. The primary outcomes were speech and dentofacial development, with a series of perioperative and longer-term secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Recruitment of 448 infants took place over a 9-year period, with 99.8% subsequent retention at 5 years. CONCLUSION: The series of reports that follow this introductory paper include comparisons at age 5 of surgical outcomes, speech outcomes, measures of dentofacial development and appearance, and parental satisfaction. The outcomes recorded and the numbers analysed for each outcome and time point are described in the series. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN29932826.

TMD in relation to malocclusion and orthodontic treatment.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic literature review was to evaluate associations between different malocclusions, orthodontic treatment, and signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This review was part of a project at the Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care focusing on malocclusion and orthodontic treatment from a health perspective. As a first step, the literature was searched in the Medline and Cochrane Library databases from 1966 to May 2003. A later update was made in January 2005. Human studies in English or in Scandinavian languages were included. RESULTS: Associations between certain malocclusions and TMD were found in some studies, whereas the majority of the reviewed articles failed to identify significant and clinically important associations. TMD could not be correlated to any specific type of malocclusion, and there was no support for the belief that orthodontic treatment may cause TMD. Obvious individual variations in signs and symptoms of TMD over time according to some longitudinal studies further emphasized the difficulty in establishing malocclusion as a significant risk factor for TMD. A considerable reduction in signs and symptoms of TMD between the teenage period and young adulthood has been shown in some recent longitudinal studies. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between specific types of malocclusions and development of significant signs and symptoms of TMD could not be verified. There is still a need for longitudinal studies.

Long-term stability of orthodontic treatment and patient satisfaction. A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate morphologic stability and patient satisfaction at least 5 years after orthodontic treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Published literature was searched through the PubMed and Cochrane Library electronic databases from 1966 to January 2005. The search was performed by an information specialist at the Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care. The inclusion criteria consisted of a follow-up period of at least 5 years postretention; randomized clinical trials, prospective or retrospective clinical controlled studies, and cohort studies; and orthodontic treatment including fixed or removable appliances, selective grinding, or extractions. Two reviewers extracted the data independently and also assessed the quality of the studies. RESULTS: The search strategy resulted in 1004 abstracts or full-text articles, of which 38 met the inclusion criteria. Treatment of crowding resulted in successful dental alignment. However, the mandibular arch length and width gradually decreased, and crowding of the lower anterior teeth reoccurred postretention. This condition was unpredictable at the individual level (limited evidence). Treatment of Angle Class II division 1 malocclusion with Herbst appliance normalized the occlusion. Relapse occurred but could not be predicted at the individual level (limited evidence). The scientific evidence was insufficient for conclusions on treatment of cross-bite, Angle Class III, open bite, and various other malocclusions as well as on patient satisfaction in a long-term perspective. CONCLUSIONS: This review has exposed the difficulties in drawing meaningful evidence-based conclusions often because of the inherent problems of retrospective and uncontrolled study design.

[Surgical treatment of diseases in the oral cavity and jaws]. / En sjukhusanknuten käkkirurgisk kliniks tillkomst och utveckling.

Surgical treatment of diseases in the oral cavity and the jaws has been performed since ancient times. However, in the beginning there were mostly simple tooth extractions and treatment of oral infections which could be done. The therapists consisted of a heterogenic group (physicians, barber-surgeons, dental surgeons, smiths, monks etc.). In the beginning of the 20th century great progress was made. Dental surgeons were employed as consultants in hospitals. And when the national dental servIce in Sweden (Folktandvården) was established 1938, departments of oral surgery were built in these hospitals. The department of oral surgery at the University hospital in Linköping started 1947 and is presented in this paper. Dr. Helge Hed, originator of the department, was chief oral surgeon the first 24 years. The surgical activity was gradually increased from 389 operations in 1950 to 1.514 in 1999, and the number of jaw fractures treated in 1948 were 21 and in 1999 73. The treatment panorama has changed during the years. At first the poor dental status of the patients characterized the situation and minor dentoalveolar surgery was usually performed. Later more advanced oral surgery e. g. trauma-surgery, orthognatic surgery and dental implantology has been done - and in addition a lot of scientific research and programmed instructions in oral surgery for dental surgeons and medical students. To sum up, the development of the department of oral surgery at the University hospital in Linköping has been well adjusted to the gradually more demanding treatment and it is representative of the successful development of Swedish oral surgery during the 20th century.

Changes in occlusion and maxillary dental arch dimensions in adults with treated unilateral complete cleft lip and palate: a follow-up study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the occlusion and maxillary dental arch dimensions in adults with repaired complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and to investigate the patterns of change in early adulthood. Study models from 39 patients (25 men, 14 women; mean age 24.7 years, range 20.2-29.3 years) with a diagnosis of complete UCLP taken at a follow-up examination were analysed and compared with the study models taken at baseline examination (mean age 19.1 years, range 16.0-20.6 years). Lip closure was carried out according to the Millard technique and palatal closure according to the Wardill-Kilner technique. All patients had received orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances. The patients were divided into three groups according to the type of retention in the upper arch: no retention (n = 15), retention with a bonded twisted retainer (n = 13), an onlay or fixed bridge (n = 11). Occlusion was evaluated according to a scoring system. The maxillary dental arch dimensions were measured with a video imaging system. There was a significant deterioration in the total occlusal score during the follow-up period and this was larger on the cleft than on the non-cleft side. There were no significant differences in the anterior scores. A comparison of the transversal and sagittal maxillary arch dimensions revealed significant differences in all measurements during the follow-up interval. The reduction was largest for the maxillary second premolar width, followed by the first molar width. The overjet differed significantly between the registrations. The occlusal score and the maxillary arch dimensions were reduced in all of the three subgroups, but there were no differences between the groups.

Facial appearance in adults who had cleft lip and palate treated in childhood.

Sixty-eight adults (44 men and 24 women) with treated total cleft lip and palate were compared with a group of 66 adults (49 men and 17 women) without clefts, matched by sex and age. The outcome measures included a self-report questionnaire about body image, quality of life in general, health-related quality of life, somatisation, and depression. The group with clefts were also asked if they had further need of treatment. They reported significantly more dissatisfaction with their facial appearance (nose, lips, mouth, profile, and overall facial appearance) than the group without clefts. Satisfaction with facial appearance was significantly correlated with a better quality of life in both groups, and significantly correlated with a better health-related quality of life and a lower grade of somatisation in the group with clefts. Dissatisfaction with facial appearance was the most significant predictor of depression in both groups. A panel of four professionals from a cleft lip and palate treatment team judged the outcome of treatment in 64 of the subjects on colour slides. The professionals and the subjects with clefts were generally not very satisfied with the results of the surgical outcome. Thirty of the subjects with clefts (47%) wished to have more operations. The professional group recommended further operations in 38 of the cases (59%), in particular, rhinoplasties. We conclude that the subjects with treated clefts were not satisfied with their facial appearance, although they seem to be psychosocially well-adjusted to their disability.