Introduction:

presurgical orthopaedics in the treatment of cleft lip and palate constitutes a controversial therapeutic guideline. Researchers who are in favour state that it favours fissure closure which facilitates surgery, and others support the criterion of limiting maxillary growth and causing its collapse.

Objective:

to determine morphological effects on the transverse growth of the maxilla during the period of use of the presurgical orthopaedic plate in children with cleft lip and palate treated at "José Luis Miranda" Provincial University Hospital in Villa Clara from March 2015 to June 2019.

Methods:

a longitudinal intervention study was carried out. The sample consisted of 34 children with the prior consent of their parents or guardians. The information was obtained through interview, clinical examination and measurements; Wilcoxon's test and Fisher's exact test were applied as statistical tests.

Results:

male patients and transforamen fissure predominated in the studied sample. The maxilla showed, with the use of the presurgical orthopaedic plate, a uniform growth with an increase of 5.6 mm in the intercanine distance and a 5.2 mm increase in the post-gingival distance from birth to palate surgery. The mean growth between birth and lip surgery was 2.7 and 2.6 mm for intercanine and post-gingival distance, respectively.

Conclusions:

presurgical orthopaedics favours transverse growth of the maxilla with a uniform increase in its anterior and posterior width.