Biomechanical study of the maxillofacial complex in the treatment of Cleft lip and palate.

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The maxillofacial complex and its mechanical behavior in unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) after palatoplasty was analyzed with the three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) . The study examined cross-sectional date sets of affected and control aged 7 to 15 years. Bone density measurement and its three-dimensional distribution was observed beforehand of FE modeling. The data from CT scanning was fed into computer graphic system and then the three-dimensional structure and density value were used as the geometrical information from several patient. Individual dento-maxillofacial skeleton was described on the three-dimensional and rectangular finite elements. The advantage of this FEM is that the evaluations are not dependent on the selected reference plane such as Cephalometrics and mechanical environment derived from various treatment technique is realized. From the analytical results, stress generated by the scar tissue was observed on the distal surface of maxilla and zyogomatics. Also stress generated by lateral expansion and maxillary protraction was observed on the buccal surface of maxilla above the molars. However, slight differences were observed on several patients. These findings suggested that the dramatic deformation associated with palatoplasty and the effect of treatment were related to the bone structure and mechanical properties in maxillofacial skeletons.