Is Taping Alone an Efficient Presurgical Infant Orthopedic Approach in Infants With Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate? A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: The aim of the current randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to assess the effectiveness of taping alone in changing the maxillary arch dimensions (MADs) in infants with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (UCLP) before surgical lip repair. Design: A prospective, balanced, randomized, parallel-group, single-blinded, controlled trial. Setting: All the steps of the current study were carried in the Department of Orthodontics, Cairo University in Egypt. Participants: Thirty-one, nonsyndromic infants with UCLP. Interventions: The eligible infants were randomly assigned to either no-treatment (control) or taping groups. In the taping group, all the infants received horizontal tape between the 2 labial segments aiming to decrease the cleft gap. No other interventions were performed to infants included in this group. Rubber base impressions were made to all the included infants in both groups at the beginning of the treatment (T1) and directly before surgical lip repair (T2). All the produced models were scanned using a desktop scanner producing digital models for outcome assessment. Main Outcomes Measures: A blinded assessor carried out all the MAD measurements virtually on the produced digital models at the beginning (T1) and after (T2) treatment. Results: Clinically and/or statistically significant changes in all the measured MADs were recorded in the taping group at T2 before surgical lip repair in comparison to the control group. Conclusions: It seems that taping alone is an efficient tool in changing the MADs before surgical lip repair in infants with UCLP.