Comparative Evaluation of Two Different Vestibuloplasty Surgical Procedures in Cleft Patients: A Pilot Study

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doi: 10.1597/04-052R.1
The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal: Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 439–441.

Comparative Evaluation of Two Different Vestibuloplasty Surgical Procedures in Cleft Patients: A Pilot Study

Ana Lúcia Pompéia Fraga de Almeida, D.D.S., M.Sc.
Patrícia Franco Pedro, D.D.S.
Evelyn Mikaela Kogawa, D.D.S.
Tatiana Pereira, D.D.S.
Guilherme Paes de Barros Carrilho, D.D.S.
Carlos Alberto Aiello, D.D.S.
Patrícia Zambonato Freitas, D.D.S., M.Sc.

Drs. de Almeida, Pedro, Kogawa, and Pereira are interns, Department of Periodontics; Dr. de Barros Carrilho is an intern, Department of Implant Dentistry; and Drs. Aiello and Freitas are with the Department of Orthodontics, Hospital for Craniofacial Anomalies Rehabilitation, University of São Paulo, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil

Submitted May 2004; Accepted August 2004.

Objective: Patients with a cleft lip or palate often present alterations in the labial aspect of the ridge, resulting in a shallow vestibule. This study compares the results of two different surgical procedures on deepening of the labial sulcus.
Interventions: Ten patients with a cleft lip and palate were separated into two groups and underwent different vestibuloplasty procedures. An experimental group used a removable retention splint. Preoperative and 4-month postoperative sulcus heights were measured and analyzed statistically.
Results: No statistically significant differences could be detected between groups.
Conclusion: The results indicated that to reach consistent results, a larger number of patients must be submitted to this evaluation.

KEY WORDS: clefts, surgery, vestibuloplasty