Orthodontic treatment in adolescents with cleft lip and palate

The orthodontic treatment of adolescents with cleft lip and palate is complex and highly individualized. For such patients, there is a great need for thorough and comprehensive diagnosis as well as attention to multidisciplinary aspects of orthodontic care. A framework for categorizing patients with varying forms and degrees cleft lip and palate into three levels of skeletal discrepancy from least to most severe is presented, and the specific treatment objectives of phase II orthodontic treatment for each of the three categories is then outlined. Moreover, due to specific challenges of a cleft-related dentition, the various aspects of the management of missing teeth are reviewed. Finally, the importance and most pertinent methods of retention are emphasized.