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Objective: To evaluate the presence of enamel alterations in deciduous maxillary central incisors of infants with unilateral cleft lip and alveolar ridge, with or without cleft palate, and to compare the occurrence and location of these alterations between the central incisor adjacent to the cleft and the contralateral incisor. Design: Intraoral clinical examination was performed after tooth cleaning and drying by a single examiner with the aid of a dental mirror, dental probe, and artificial light, with the child positioned on a dental chair. The defects were recorded in a standardized manner according to the criteria of the Modified Developmental Defects of Enamel Index. Setting: Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies (HRAC) at Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil. Patients: One hundred one infants were evaluated. All were white, of both genders, aged 12 to 36 months and had at least two thirds of the crowns of maxillary incisors erupted. Results: Demarcated opacity was the most common defect at both cleft and noncleft sides, followed by diffuse opacity. The occurrence of hypoplasia at the cleft side was 11.8%. Most defects affected less than one third of the crown. Conclusion: The occurrence of enamel defects in deciduous maxillary central incisors of patients with unilateral cleft lip was 42.6%, mainly affecting the cleft side as to both number and severity.

Objective: To assess the oral health knowledge of mothers of children with cleft lip and/or palate, analyzing the practical application of this information on the basis of the oral hygiene of the children and caries prevalence of mothers and children. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Pediatric Dentistry sector of the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies. Patients: Mothers (n = 300) and their children with cleft lip and/or palate, ages 3 years to 5 years 6 months. Materials and Methods: An interview with questions related to dietary habits and oral health knowledge and habits was conducted. Children and their mothers also were evaluated by intraoral clinical examination. Results: Of the mothers, 47.3% displayed poor oral health status (Group A) and 52.7% had a satisfactory oral health status (Group B). Children in Group A presented a mean dmft of 6.0, whereas children in Group B had a mean dmft of 5.6. No significant differences were observed between groups. Mothers demonstrated a reasonable knowledge on prevention of dental caries and oral hygiene. Conclusion: Even though the mothers interviewed had some knowledge on the causes and prevention of dental caries, other factors should be regarded as relevant in the caries process.

Objective To determine in complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) subjects the characteristics (location, shape) of the cleft-side lateral incisor. The presence of a supernumerary tooth at the cleft side and the prevalence of hypodontia outside the cleft area were evaluated. A comparison was made of the shape of the cleft side lateral incisor to its contralateral incisor. Setting Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies (HRCA), Sao Paulo, Brazil. Patients Orthopantomograms of 203 subjects with UCLP and without syndromes were chronologically selected from the HRCA data bank, within an age range of 5 to 10 years. Outcome Measure Orthopantomograms were analyzed by the same observer according to established criteria. Results There were no statistically significant differences between sexes for any of the criteria studied. The cleft-side lateral incisor was present in 50.2%, and it was more commonly located at the distal side (76.5%). The congenital absence of the cleft-side lateral incisor was observed in 49.8% of the sample, and its antimere was congenitally missing in 10.9%, this difference being statistically significant. The most commonly missing tooth outside the cleft area was the maxillary second premolar. Conclusions The high prevalence of hypodontia of the permanent lateral incisor in the cleft side showed that the cleft could play an important role in this absence. There were different patterns for the presence of the cleft-side lateral incisor.