Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the angular and linear measurements of the nasomaxillary complex for unilateral cleft lip and palate patients obtained from CBCT synthesized two dimensional lateral cephalograms to those from CBCT three dimensional reconstructed images.
Methods: This study comprised 10 children (6 boys and 4 girls) with surgically repaired complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). Seven points were created and identified on the three dimensional volumetric model. The identified landmarks were then refined in the coronal, sagittal and axial tomographic slices to insure the right position of the points. Three angular and three linear measurements were determined and calculated by the software.
Results: The results of this study shows a close agreement between all the two dimensional and three dimensional measurements with lesser agreement regarding the Max-Height.
Conclusions: By constructing a perspective lateral image from CBCT scan, one can replicate the inherent magnification of a conventional two dimensional lateral cephalogram with high accuracy. This image can be used in place of a two dimensional lateral cephalogram for comparison with either normative data or serial records.