Aim: To investigate differences in sella turcica size and bridging in children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) with or without concomitant dental anomalies.
Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out looking at 56 children with nonsyndromic UCLP. Lateral cephalograms, taken before alveolar bone grafting, were used to assess sella turcica height, width, area, and bridging. Panoramic radiographs were used to evaluate the presence of dental anomalies in the cleft area including agenesis, supernumerary, and peg-shaped lateral incisors. Differences between sella turcica measurements in the presence or absence of dental anomalies were assessed using t tests. Differences between the prevalence of dental anomalies and sella turcica bridging were assessed using χ2 and Fisher exact tests. Multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate potential associations between sella measurements and dental anomalies.
Results: Twenty-six of the 56 children presented with agenesis of the cleft-side lateral incisor, while 7 had a supernumerary, and 19 had a peg-shaped lateral incisor. With regard to sella turcica bridging, 27 children had no calcification, 25 partial and 4 complete calcification. Children with agenesis of the cleft-side lateral incisor showed a shorter sella maximum height (P = .010) and a smaller area (P = .019). When looking at sella turcica bridging, 100% of children with complete calcification showed agenesis of the cleft-side lateral incisor, compared with 52% and 33% of children with partial calcification and no calcification, respectively (P = .034).
Conclusions: Children with UCLP and sella turcica bridging are more likely to present with agenesis of the cleft-side maxillary lateral incisor.
Keywords: bridging; orthodontics; sella turcica; tooth agenesis; unilateral cleft lip and palate.