Photogrammetric assessment of the soft tissue profile in unilateral cleft lip and palate

OBJECTIVE: To describe the soft tissue profile of children with unilateral cleft lip and palate from profile photographs and assess the reliability of this method. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. SETTING: A national study in the United Kingdom. SUBJECTS: Caucasian children born in the United Kingdom between April 1, 1982, and March 31, 1984, and aged between 12 and 14 years at data collection. A cleft side and noncleft side profile photograph was available for each of 175 children. METHOD: Seven angular measurements were made using Dentofacial Planner Plus software, and the profile appearance was rated by an expert panel. RESULTS: Reliability for repeated measurement of the same photograph was acceptable for all but li-sm(s)-pg(s) (labiomental fold). Similar levels of reliability were found when comparing measurements from the cleft side and non-cleft side photograph. Logistic regression showed that the variables nst-sn-ls (nasolabial angle), ss(s)-n(s)-pg(s) (maxillary prominence), and g(s)-prn-pg(s) (facial convexity) were associated with the profile score. CONCLUSIONS: Soft tissue profile analysis from photographs is reliable and robust under a range of conditions. Soft tissue profile measurements are associated with panel ratings of profile.