Objective: To evaluate dental changes in cleft patients after undergoing orthodontic treatment for at least 2 years.
Hypothesis: The dental change would decline significantly after 2 years of completing orthodontic treatment.
Design: This is a retrospective study.
Patient: Eighteen repaired cleft lip and palate patients from the Faculty of Dentistry, KhonKaen University, Thailand, participated in this study.
Mean outcome measures: A dental model with before treatment (T0), completed treatment (T1), and retention period (T2) data was analyzed using the peer assessment rating (PAR) index.
Result: The results showed that the PAR score improved enormously after treatment; from T0 to T1, it was 34.00 ± 10.01 to 4.67 ± 2.47, and there was a reversion in the retention period. There was statistical significance between T0, T1, and T2, with P values <.001, .005, and <.001 when comparing T0 with T1, T1 with T2, and T0 with T2, respectively.
Conclusion: Occlusion in cleft lip and palate patients changed from the time of completing treatment to the final results after the retention period. To sustain satisfactory results, orthodontists should plan carefully for the retention period before performing the treatment.
Keywords: cleft; dental; postorthodontic changes; relapse; stability.