Multidisciplinary Aesthetic Management of a Dentition in a Patient with Cleft Lip and Palate with a High Smile Line: A Clinical Report.

The aesthetic management of a case involving a high smile line in a patient with a cleft lip and palate can be difficult. In this report, we look at a complex case of a patient with a unilateral cleft lip and palate which required a multidisciplinary approach involving crown lengthening, extraction of a maxillary right central incisor and fabrication of a 4-unit fixed partial denture to replace this tooth and the adjacent absent maxillary right lateral incisor with use of gingival porcelain in order to improve the aesthetics of the patient's smile.

Chairside technique for addition of teeth to an acrylic partial denture. A clinical report.

This article describes a chairside technique of addition of teeth to a patient's existing acrylic partial denture at the extraction appointment without the need for dental laboratory intervention. This maintains aesthetics, function, phonation, biologic integrity, patient confidence, and psychological well-being. An immediate denture is any fixed or removable dental prosthesis fabricated for placement immediately after the removal of a natural tooth/teeth [1,2]. Immediate dentures have many advantages over conventional dentures including conservation of patient's integrity, aesthetics, functionality, soft tissue support and occlusion [2-4]. Immediate dentures require several visits with associated costs and the patient has a period of adjustment to the new prosthesis. This clinical report describes a simple and fast technique of chairside immediate tooth addition to an existing denture avoiding some of these issues.

CLEFT-Q: Detecting Differences in Outcomes among 2434 Patients with Varying Cleft Types.

BACKGROUND: Measuring the patient perspective is important in evaluating outcomes of cleft care. Understanding how treatment outcomes vary depending on cleft type may allow for better planning of treatments, setting of expectations, and more accurate benchmarking efforts. The CLEFT-Q is a patient-reported outcome measure for patients with cleft lip and/or palate. METHODS: The 12 CLEFT-Q scales measuring appearance (i.e., face, nose, nostrils, lips, cleft lip scar, teeth, and jaws), function (i.e., speech), and health-related quality of life (i.e., psychological, school, social, and speech-related distress) were field tested in a cross-sectional study in 30 centers in 12 countries. Patients with cleft lip and/or cleft palate aged 8 to 29 years were recruited from clinical settings. Differences in CLEFT-Q scores by cleft subtypes were evaluated using one-way analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis H tests, with Tukey or Dunn procedure with Bonferroni corrections post hoc analyses, respectively. Scores are presented using radar charts to visualize all outcomes simultaneously. RESULTS: The field test included 2434 patients. Scores on all CLEFT-Q scales varied significantly with cleft subtype. Patients with unilateral or bilateral cleft lip and/or palate scored lower on all appearance scales compared with patients with cleft palate or unilateral incomplete cleft lip. Scores on the speech function and speech-related distress scales decreased with each progressive group in the Veau classification. Patients with complete bilateral cleft lip and palate scored lowest on the social, school, and psychological scales. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-reported outcomes measured with the CLEFT-Q vary significantly with cleft type. Visualizing multiple outcomes simultaneously with radar charts allows for an understanding of a patient's overall status in a single graph.

Establishing Content Validity of the CLEFT-Q: A New Patient-reported Outcome Instrument for Cleft Lip/Palate.

BACKGROUND: The CLEFT-Q is a new patient-reported outcome instrument designed to measure outcomes that matter to patients. The aim of this qualitative study was to establish content validity of the CLEFT-Q in patients who differ by age and culture. METHODS: Patients aged between 6 and 29 years were recruited from plastic surgery clinics in Canada, India, Ireland, the Philippines, the Netherlands and the United States. Healthcare providers and other experts participated in a focus group or provided individual feedback. Input was sought on all aspects of the CLEFT-Q (item wording, instructions, and response options), and to identify missing content. Patient interviews and expert feedback took place between September 2013 and September 2014. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients and 44 experts participated. The first draft of the CLEFT-Q consisted of 163 items measuring 12 constructs. The first round of feedback identified 92 items that required revision. In total, 3 rounds of interviews, and the involvement of an artist to create pictures for 17 items, were needed to establish content validity. At the conclusion of cognitive interviews, the CLEFT-Q consisted of 13 scales (total 171 items) that measure appearance, health-related quality of life, and facial function. The mean Flesch-Kincaid readability statistic for items was 1.4 (0 to 5.2). CONCLUSION: Cognitive interviews and expert review allowed us to identify items that required re-wording, re-conceptualizing, or to be removed, as well as any missing items. This process was useful for refining the CLEFT-Q scales for further testing.

Repair of anterior cleft palate fistulae with cancellous bone graft: a simple technique that facilitates dental reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Cleft palate fistulas of the anterior hard palate following previous repair are a challenging surgical problem. In addition to nasal regurgitation and potential adverse effects on speech, these fistulas may necessitate obturation with a removable dental prosthesis and can mitigate a fixed prosthodontic dental reconstruction. The authors present a method of repair using cancellous bone graft and only native palatal mucosa. METHODS: The authors carried out a retrospective review of 27 consecutive patients who underwent anterior palate fistula repair performed by a single surgeon over an 8-year period. RESULTS: The authors performed 29 fistula closure procedures using cancellous bone on 27 consecutive patients. Twenty-three (85 percent) of the initial 27 palatal fistula repairs in this study resulted in complete closure of the fistula. Two of the four patients who had incomplete closure went on to have a second operation using exactly the same technique, and complete closure was achieved. The remaining two patients in whom only partial closure was achieved were asymptomatic and no further treatment was necessary. All patients had an improvement in fistula symptoms after surgery. All patients who were using removable dentures/obturators were restored with fixed dental restorations supported by osseointegrated implants or fixed conventional bridges. CONCLUSIONS: This relatively simple method achieves reliable closure of most anterior hard palate fistulas and can be repeated if necessary. This technique removes the necessity of obturation of the defect with a removable prosthesis and in some cases facilitates the placement of dental implants.

Dimensional accuracy and surface detail reproduction of two hydrophilic vinyl polysiloxane impression materials tested under dry, moist, and wet conditions.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: A major limitation of vinyl polysiloxane (VPS) impression materials is their hydrophobicity. There are 2 aspects to this problem, the wettability of the polymerized impression by dental gypsum materials and the ability of the unpolymerized material to wet intraoral tissues. To address this problem, manufacturers have added surfactants and labeled the new products as hydrophilic vinyl polysiloxane. PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to compare dimensional accuracy and surface detail reproduction of 2 hydrophilic VPS impression materials, when used under dry, moist, and wet conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 102 impressions were made of stainless steel metal dies similar to those described in American Dental Association (ADA) specification 19. The dies had 2 vertical and 3 horizontal lines inscribed on their superior surfaces. Impressions were made under dry, moist, and wet conditions. Dimensional accuracy was measured by comparing the average length of the middle horizontal line in each impression to the same line on the metal die, by use of a measuring microscope with an accuracy of 0.001 mm. A 2-way analysis of variance and least significant difference post hoc test were used to compare mean dimensional changes (alpha=.05). Surface detail reproduction was evaluated in 2 ways: (1) by use of criteria similar to ADA specification 19 for detail reproduction, continuous replication of at least 2 of the 3 horizontal lines, and (2) by use of a method developed for this study that categorized the impressions as satisfactory or unsatisfactory based on their surface characteristics: presence of pits, voids, or roughness. Pearson chi(2) (alpha=.05) was used to compare detail reproduction results. RESULTS: Conditions (dry, moist, and wet) did not cause significant adverse effects on the dimensional accuracy of either material. The mean dimensional change and SD were 0.005% +/- 0.002% or less. With both surface detail analyses, dry, moist, and wet conditions had a significant effect on the detail reproduction of both materials (P<.05). Only under dry conditions did both impression materials continuously replicate at least 2 of the 3 horizontal lines 100% of the time. Under moist conditions, 82% of the Aquasil impressions and 100% of the Reprosil impressions were judged satisfactory, while under wet conditions, only 47% Aquasil and 11% Reprosil impressions were satisfactory. With the additional surface detail characterization, only under dry conditions were impressions produced with clinically acceptable surface quality (Aquasil 77% and Reprosil 100% satisfactory). CONCLUSIONS: Dimensional accuracy of both materials tested was well within ADA standards. Best surface detail results were obtained only under dry conditions for both materials.