The Influence of Sidedness in Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate on Mid Facial Growth at Five Years of Age

Objective To determine whether facial growth at five years is different for children with a left versus right sided cleft lip and palate. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Seven UK regional cleft centres. Patients Patients born between 2000-2014 with a complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). Main Outcomes Measure 5-Year-Old's Index scores. Results 378 children were included. 256 (68%) had a left sided UCLP and 122 (32%) had a right sided UCLP. 5-Year-Old's index scores ranged from 1 (good) to 5 (poor). There was a higher proportion of patients getting good scores (1 and 2) in left UCLP (43%) compared to right UCLP (37%) but there was weak evidence for a difference (Adjusted summary odds ratio 1.27, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.87; P = .22). Conclusions Whilst maxillary growth may be different for left versus right sided UCLP, definitive analysis requires older growth indices and arch forms.