Validation and comparison of 2D grading scales and 3D volumetric measurements for outcome assessment of bone-grafted alveolar clefts in children

BACKGROUND

Several methods have been proposed to assess outcome of bone-grafted alveolar clefts on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), but so far these methods have not been compared and clinically validated.

OBJECTIVES

To validate and compare methods for outcome assessment of bone-grafted clefts with CBCT and provide recommendations for follow-up.

METHODS

In this observational follow-up study, two grading scales (Suomalainen; Liu) and the volumetric bone fill (BF) were used to assess the outcome of 23 autogenous bone-grafted unilateral alveolar clefts. The mean age at bone grafting was 9 years. The volumetric BF was assessed in five vertical sections. The bone-grafted cleft outcome was based on a binary coding (success or regraft) on a clinical multidisciplinary expert consensus meeting. Grading scales and volumetric assessment were compared in relation to the bone-grafted cleft outcome (success or regraft). Reliability for the different outcome variables was analyzed with intra-class correlation and by calculating kappa values.

LIMITATIONS

The study had a limited sample size. Clinical CBCT acquisitions had a varying tube current and exposure time.

RESULTS

Volumetric 3D measurements allowed for outcome assessment of bone-grafted alveolar clefts with high reliability and validity. The two grading scales showed highly reliable outcomes, yet the validity was high for the Suomalainen grading scale but low for the Liu grading scale.

CONCLUSIONS

Volumetric 3D measurement as well as the Suomalainen grading can be recommended for outcome assessment of the bone-grafted cleft. Yet, one must always make a patient-specific assessment if there is a need to regraft.

Long-term radiographic and periodontal evaluations of the bone-grafted alveolar cleft region in young adults born with a UCLP

BACKGROUND

Studies addressing the periodontal health of the teeth surrounding the bone-grafted cleft in patients born with unilateral cleft lip and palate disagree on whether periodontal health is compromised.

OBJECTIVES

To determine periodontal health differences between the cleft and the non-cleft sides nearly a decade after secondary alveolar bone grafting.

METHODS

This prospective, controlled (split-mouth design) study comprised an intraoral apical radiographic and a periodontal examination of 40 consecutive patients from one centre (n = 26 males) who had undergone bone grafting at mean age of 10.2 years (±1.6). Probing pocket depth, gingival index, gingival recession, and radiographic bone support were assessed.

RESULTS

No significant difference occurred in probing pocket depth between teeth at cleft and non-cleft sites (OR 1.8, P = .488). Gingival recession was present at 6.6% of all examined sites on the cleft side and at 1.7% on the non-cleft side (OR 17.3, P < .001). Gingival recession occurred most often on the buccal and disto-buccal surfaces of the central incisor on the cleft side. The gingival index was significantly higher on the cleft side (OR 8.0, P < .001). The Bergland index was I or II in most patients (87%).

LIMITATIONS

Recruitment of eligible patients was lengthy.

CONCLUSION

The teeth on the cleft side had high levels of gingival inflammation. Few pathological gingival pockets, however, were found. Shallow gingival recessions frequently occurred around the central incisor on the cleft side. Teeth in the bone-grafted cleft region generally had good bone support.

Low-dose cone-beam computed tomography for assessment of alveolar clefts, a randomized controlled trial in image quality

BACKGROUND

Children born with an alveolar cleft receive bone grafts for improved function and aesthetics. The cleft area is radiologically examined before and post bone graft. Optimizing x-ray examination protocols is essential to protect these patients from possible delayed radiation injury later in life. This study investigates whether image quality of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) exposed with an ultra-low dose (ULD) protocol is comparable to the clinical default protocol, the standard dose (SD) protocol, in visualizing details of importance in bone grafting of alveolar clefts.

METHODS

In this randomized controlled study, 72 patients with uni- or bilateral alveolar clefts between 9-19 years (mean age 9.5) were randomized 1:1 with either a ULD or an SD CBCT examination protocol. The CBCT scans were conducted with Planmeca ProMax Mid with an 8x5cm field of view. Two experienced radiologists blindly evaluated the images and visibility of cortical bone border, trabecular bone, tooth anatomy, root development, periodontal space, and cleft width. The visibility was categorized as unacceptable, acceptable, or excellent.

RESULTS

Mann-Whitney U test showed no significant differences in structure visibility between ULD and SD protocols regarding anatomical structures of interest: cortical bone border (p=0.07), trabecular bone (p=0.64), tooth anatomy (p=0.09), root development (p=0.57), periodontal space (p=0.38), and cleft width (p=0.44).

CONCLUSIONS

ULD and standard CBCT protocols provide comparable image quality in terms of structure visibility in the examination of alveolar clefts. The ULD protocol is preferred to the SD protocol due to the lower radiation dose without compromising diagnostic information of CBCT images.

A CBCT Based Assessment of Canine Eruption and Development Following Alveolar Bone Grafting in Patients Born With Unilateral Cleft lip and/or Palate

To three-dimensionally assess and visualize the eruption path and development of the maxillary canine following alveolar bone grafting in patients born with cleft lip and palate. A further objective of this analysis was to assess how the presence of the lateral incisor impacts the eruption path of the canine.

Observational follow-up study.

Stockholm Craniofacial Team, Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden.

Thirty children born with non-syndromic unilateral cleft lip with or without palate were consecutively included.

CBCT scans of the maxilla were taken six months before and six months after the alveolar bone-grafting surgery for each patient.

Canine eruption (angulation and vertical movement) and canine development (length and volume).

There was a significant difference pre- and post-operatively of the canine angulation between the cleft and non-cleft sides. The mean angulation on the cleft side was 14.7° (SD  =  11.1°) while on the non-cleft side, it was 4.9° (SD  =  9.2°). No significant differences were noted between cleft-side and non-cleft side canines in terms of amount of vertical eruption and volumetric development. Absence of the lateral incisor did not significantly contribute to either canine angulation or its vertical eruption on the cleft-side.

Higher angulation of the canine on the cleft side indicates a higher risk of future canine impaction. Presence or absence of the lateral incisor did not significantly affect canine angulation or its vertical eruption. Increased age and children born with total cleft lip and palate imply a higher risk of angulated canines on the cleft side.

Comparing oral health-related quality of life, oral function and orofacial aesthetics among a group of adolescents with and without malocclusions

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to analyze how malocclusion relates to perception of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL), oral function and orofacial aesthetics among a group of adolescents in Sweden.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Thirty patients with a need for orthodontic treatment (IOTN-DHC grade 4 and 5) and 30 patients with normal occlusion (IOTN-DHC grade 1), aged 13-17 years, were included in the study. A questionnaire containing three parts was used; The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-S14), Jaw Functional Limitational scale (JFLS-20) and Orofacial Aesthetic scale (OES). Malocclusions, orthodontic treatment need and confounders, such as earlier dental treatment and temporomandibular disorders, were registered.

RESULTS

Adolescents with malocclusions were more often embarrassed by their mouth and teeth compared to controls (p < .05). Aesthetically, adolescents with malocclusions were more negatively affected by the appearance of the mouth and teeth as well as the over-all facial appearance (p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Malocclusions clearly affects the adolescents with need for orthodontic treatment in this study. It influences their OHRQOL in the psychosocial impact dimension. Aesthetically they perceive their oral and facial appearance as worse compared to controls. Although embarrassed and unpleased with their oral appearance they still rate themselves as having a good oral health with low jaw function limitations.

Reliability and Predictive Validity of Dental Arch Relationships Using the 5-Year-Olds’ Index and the GOSLON Yardstick to Determine Facial Growth

Aims:

To determine reliability and predictive validity of the 5-year-olds’(5YO) Index and GOSLON Yardstick in 119 patients born with unilateral cleft lip and palate at 5, 7/8, 10, 15/16, and 19 years.

Methods:

Five hundred thirty-four dental study models were appraised by 2 teams in 2 centers, twice in each center. Intrateam and interteam reliability in scoring the models was calculated using κ. Dental arch prediction rates were calculated as the proportion of models remaining in the same category (good–scores 1 and 2; fair–score 3; poor–scores 4 and 5) over time.

Results:

Intrateam and interteam κ statistics ranged from 0.74 to 0.89 and from 0.74 to 0.81, respectively. The 5YO Index and GOSLON Yardstick at 5 years produced almost identical results. The prediction rate of 19-year-old (n = 106) outcome was >80% for those in groups 1 and 2 at 5 years, while for those in groups 4 and 5 prediction was poor (<40%). Prediction of groups 4 and 5 remained poor until 10 years when it increased to 77%. At 15/16 years prediction rate was 93% for those in groups 4 and 5. Prediction of cases in group 3 was very poor at all ages.

Conclusions:

These results question the predictive value of “poor” dental arch relationships before 10 years of age. However, the predictive value of “good” dental arch relationship scores over time is good in all age groups. This has implications for audit policies to predict facial growth outcomes.

Validation of reported dentoalveolar relationships in the Swedish Quality Registry for Cleft Lip and Palate

OBJECTIVES

The present study validated data that had been reported to the Swedish Quality Registry for Cleft Lip and Palate (CLP) under new requirements from 2016, when use of the 5-year-old (5YO) and the Modified Huddart and Bodenham (MHB) indices for rating occlusion in children born with unilateral CLP (UCLP) was introduced.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The sample included blinded study casts (n = 97) and photos (n = 4) of 5-year-old children who had been born with UCLP in 2009-2011 and were enrolled at one of six cleft centres in Sweden. Fourteen orthodontists from the centres assessed the patients (n = 101) using the 5YO and the MHB indices. Median 5YO and MHB scores of the 14 assessments were compared with original registry data (n = 61). Each centre devised code keys to protect the identities of their patients in the registry.

RESULTS

Interrater agreement among the 14 orthodontists was good for the 5YO index (quadratic-weighted kappa: 0.72-0.92) and the MHB index (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.991-0.994). Comparisons of median 5YOs for each identifiable child with their registry data (n = 61) found total agreement for 70.5 per cent. Comparisons between median MHBs and registry data showed very good or good agreement in 93.4 per cent of the cases.

LIMITATIONS

Two teams lost their code keys, which reduced the sample to 61 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The dentoalveolar outcome data in the CLP registry was trustworthy. There was good agreement among the Swedish cleft teams assessing the 5YO and MHB indices in children born with UCLP at age 5 years.

Mean GOSLON Yardstick Scores After 3 Different Treatment Protocols—A Long-term Study of Patients With Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate

Objectives:

(1) To evaluate dental arch relationships, with the Great Ormond Street, London and Oslo (GOSLON) Yardstick, of participants with Unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and treated with 1-stage palatal closure with 3 different surgical protocols (2) to compare the mean GOSLON ratings with other CLP centers.

Design:

Retrospective study of medical charts and dental models.

Setting:

Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Participants:

Eighty-seven patients with UCLP operated with 1-stage palatal repair. Thirty-five were operated with Veau-Wardill-Kilner (VWK) technique 1975 to 1986, 31 with minimal incision technique (MIT) from 1987 to 1997, and 21 according to MIT with muscle reconstruction (MITmr) 1998 to 2004.

Interventions:

Dental casts at ages 5 (n = 87), 7 to 8 (n = 27), 10 (n = 81), 16 (n = 61), and 19 (n = 35) years were rated by 10 assessors with the GOSLON Yardstick. Information of other interventions was retrieved from patients’ charts.

Main outcome measures:

Mean GOSLON ratings.

Results:

A total of 82% of the participants were rated as having excellent to satisfactory outcome. Weighted κ statistics for the 10 assessors was good for inter-rater agreement and good/very good for intra-rater agreement.

Conclusions:

The mean GOSLON score in the Stockholm overall material at age 10 was 2.67. The VWK technique resulted in a greater need of orthognathic surgery than the MIT ( P < .01). The MITmr did not produce better dental arch relationships than MIT at age 5 ( P < .05). The best dental arch relationships were found in the MIT group at 10 years, mean 2.58, which is not significantly different from other centers with excellent outcome except Gothenburg and Vienna.

Alveolar bone healing accompanied by severe swelling in cleft children treated with bone morphogenetic protein-2 delivered by hydrogel

BACKGROUND

The use of osteoinductive growth factors may be preferable for alveolar cleft repair because it eliminates the need of bone harvesting. In the present prospective randomised pilot study, patients with alveolar clefts were treated with either bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) delivered by a hyaluronan-based hydrogel or autologous bone from the iliac crest.

METHODS

Seven patients with cleft lip or cleft lip and palate were included. Computed tomography (CT) was performed preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. The residual cleft volume was compared with the initial volume. Surgery time, bleeding and hospital stay were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

Four patients were randomised to treatment with BMP-2. A low BMP-2 concentration of 50 μg ml(-1) hydrogel did not induce bone formation in treated patients (n = 2) after 6 months, as seen by CT scans. Therefore, the BMP-2 concentration was raised to 250 μg ml(-1) hydrogel in the subsequently randomised patients (n = 2). Bone formation with volume ratio of 59% and 33% was here verified by CT scans after 6 months. However, a severe gingival swelling appeared during the first week in patients treated with higher BMP-2 doses. In the autologous bone group (n = 3), the volume ratio was 29%, 48%, and 69%. Mean surgery time was 100 min in the BMP-2 group and 123 min in the autologous bone group. The mean hospital stay was 2.75 and 3.33 days, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

BMP-2 at a concentration of 250 μg ml(-1) delivered by a hydrogel can be used to treat alveolar cleft defects with good bone quantity and comparable to autologous bone grafts. However, severe gingival swelling may limit the use of BMP-2 for these patients. Therefore, the study was prematurely closed.