Relation between Maximum Oral Muscle Pressure and Dentoalveolar Characteristics in Patients with Cleft Lip and/or Palate: A Prospective Comparative Study.

Patients with CP or UCLP did not present reduced maximum oral muscle pressure compared with patients without a cleft. In cleft patients, tongue pressure was consistently greater than lip pressure, and those who presented a larger maxillary width presented systematically higher imbalance scores (favoring the tongue) than those with narrow maxillae. Therefore, the influence of slow maxillary expansion on maximum oral muscle pressure in cleft patients should not be underestimated.