Evaluation of the Dental Aesthetic Index among patients with cleft palate and cleft lip, with or without cleft palate

Introduction and Objective . The Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) is a commonly-used dental indicator for determining patients’ orthodontic treatment needs. It is simple to use and can be measured by dentists and trained assistants. It allows the ranking of patients from the least to those most in need of treatment, and is therefore often used in epidemiological studies. DAI is practical because it takes into account both aesthetic and functional aspects of malocclusions. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of the Dental Aesthetic Index in evaluating the results of orthodontic treatment among patients with cleft palate, and patients with cleft lip with or without cleft palate, who completed orthodontic treatment. Materials and method . Twenty-three diagnostic models of patients with cleft palate and patients with cleft lip, with or without cleft palate, after orthodontic treatment were measured by a single examiner.The DAI score was measured as the sum of 10 components multiplied by their weight by adding the constant of 13. Results . The DAI index scores ranged from 17–42 points. Of all the components, the most frequently observed were: lack of teeth, spacing in incisial segments, and maxillary overjet. Conclusions . The results of the study indicate that DAI can be successfully used in cleft patients and that such patients require not only orthodontic treatment, but also further prosthetic treatment to replace missing teeth. The DAI index can be used in the group of cleft palate and cleft lip patients, with or without cleft palate, and demonstrates high values due to the presence. absence of numerous teeth. Therefore, in these patients it presents the need for prosthetic treatment rather than orthodontic.