Dental Anomalies in Cleft Lip and Palate Conditions
Summary
Cleft lip and palate represent some of the most common congenital craniofacial anomalies, profoundly affecting the development, eruption and morphology of the dentition. Individuals with these conditions frequently exhibit numerical anomalies such as tooth agenesis and supernumerary teeth, as well as size and shape variations including microdontia and enamel defects. The interplay between genetic predisposition and local disruption of the dental lamina in the region of the alveolar cleft drives a spectrum of phenotypes, ranging from isolated absence of the maxillary lateral incisor to multiple missing or accessory teeth. Dental maturity may also be delayed, contributing to complex orthodontic and surgical treatment planning. A detailed understanding of the prevalence, distribution and subphenotypes of these anomalies underpins interdisciplinary care, informing timing of grafting procedures, selection of prosthetic solutions and genetic counselling strategies. Globally, standardised classification of anomalies supports comparative research and guides resource allocation in both high-income and resource-limited settings.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have harnessed deep orofacial phenotyping in pre-treatment infants to unravel hidden subgroups within isolated cleft lip and isolated cleft palate cohorts. Detailed radiographic analyses revealed that while overall rates of tooth agenesis were similar across subphenotypes, dental maturity differed significantly by gender and cleft severity. In infants with unilateral cleft lip, supernumerary maxillary lateral incisors were noted in almost one third on the cleft side, suggesting a forme fruste of dental-alveolar clefting distinct from palate-only phenotypes. These insights provide a refined phenotypic framework that can improve early intervention strategies and clarify underlying developmental mechanisms.
Dental Anomalies in Cleft Lip and Palate Conditions publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in dental anomalies in cleft lip and palate conditions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Tooth agenesis: congenital absence of one or more teeth.
Supernumerary teeth: extra teeth beyond the normal dental complement.
Microdontia: condition in which one or more teeth are smaller than normal.
Alveolar cleft: discontinuity in the bony ridge of the maxilla where teeth develop, associated with cleft lip and/or palate.
References
- Deep orofacial phenotyping of population-based infants with isolated cleft lip and isolated cleft palate. Scientific Reports (2020).
- Orthodontic camouflage treatment for a patient with bilateral cleft lip and palate, bilateral crossbite, and microdontic maxillary lateral incisors. European Journal of Medical Research (2024).
- Prevalence of tooth agenesis and supernumerary teeth related to different Thai cleft lip and cleft palate populations. BMC Oral Health (2024).
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