Research Information System
Oral Radiology, vol.40, no.2, pp.269-276, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
Objectives: The present study aims to evaluate the thickness and radiological patterns of the superior semicircular canal (SSC) in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (CL/P). Methods: Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of the patients were evaluated in axial and Pöschl planes. CBCT images of 84 patients with unilateral CL/P and 168 healthy individual controls were included in the study. Three study groups were established: the CS–CL/P group (cleft side temporal bones of the CL/P patients), NCS–CL/P (non-cleft side temporal bones of the CL/P patients) and the control group. The radiological patterns of SSCs were categorized as dehiscence, papyraceous, normal, pneumatised and thick. The minimum bone thickness of SSC was measured. Results: It was found that the CS–CL/P group had a higher prevalence for SSCD compared to both the NCS–CL/P group and the control group. CS–CL/P group had a higher prevalence of dehiscence type and papyraceous type compared to the control group. The SSC thickness on the CS–CL/P patients was thinner than the NCS–CL/P patients and the control group sides (p = 0.033 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: The mean thickness of SSC was found significantly lower in the CS–CL/P group compared to both the NCS–CL/P group and the control group. The elevated prevalence of dehiscence and papyraceous types in the CS–C/LP group compared to the control group implies that the presence of a cleft may be a predisposing factor for these types.