The impact of passive alveolar molding vs. nasoalveolar molding on cleft width and other parameters of maxillary growth in unilateral cleft lip palate

Objective Passive alveolar molding (PAM) and nasoalveolar molding (NAM) are established presurgical infant orthodontic (PSIO) therapies for cleft lip palate (CLP) patients. PAM guides maxillary growth with a modified Hotz appliance, while NAM also uses extraoral taping and includes nasal stents. The effects of these techniques on alveolar arch growth have rarely been compared.Material and methodsWe retrospectively compared 3D-scanned maxillary models obtained before and after PSIO from infants with unilateral, non-syndromic CLP treated with PAM (n = 16) versus NAM (n = 13). Nine anatomical points were set digitally by four raters and transversal/sagittal distances and rotations of the maxilla were measured.ResultsBoth appliances reduced the anterior cleft, but NAM percentage wise more. NAM decreased the anterior and medial transversal width compared to PAM, which led to no change. With both appliances, the posterior width increased. The alveolar arch length of the great and small segments and the sagittal length of the maxilla increased with PAM but only partially with NAM. However, NAM induced a significant greater medial rotation of the larger and smaller segment compared to PAM with respect to the lateral angle.ConclusionsNAM and PAM presented some significant differences regarding maxillary growth. While NAM reduced the anterior cleft and effectively rotated the segments medially, PAM allowed more transversal and sagittal growth.

Automated summary

By comparing the pre- and post-PSIO maxillary models of infants with unilateral non-syndromic cleft lip palate treated with PAM or NAM, it was found that NAM can effectively reduce the anterior cleft and achieve greater medial rotation, while PAM allows for more transversal and sagittal growth.