Use cervical vertebra bone age to assess the development situation of the patients with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (UCLP).

A total of 45 UCLP patients aged 9 to 16 years were selected as experimental group. Another 45 patients of the same age and race without cleft lip and palate were selected as control group. Lateral cephalometric radiographs were taken for the patients. Lateral cephalometric radiographs were used to measure and calculate vertebra bone of the UCLP group and the Non-cleft group. Independent samples t test was used to compare bone age of UCLP group and the Non-cleft group in same gender.

Cervical vertebra bone age of male patients in UCLP group was significantly smaller than patients in the Non-cleft group (P＜0.05), while cervical vertebra bone age of female patients shows no significant difference between two groups (P＞0.05).

Compared with Non-cleft patients, the male UCLP patients’ development is relatively slow. And there is no significant difference between the female patients in two groups.