ORIGINAL ARTICLE Tomographic Pharyngeal Dimensions in Individuals With Unilateral Cleft Lip/Palate and Class III Malocclusion Are Reduced When Compared With Controls Ivy Kiemle Trindade-Suedam, D.D.S., M.Sc., Ph.D., Thiago Freire Lima, D.D.S., M.Sc., Let´ ıcia Dominguez Campos, M.Sc., Renato Yassutaka Faria Yaed ´ u, D.D.S., M.Sc., Ph.D., Hugo Nary Filho, D.D.S., M.Sc., Ph.D., Inge Elly Kiemle Trindade, B.S., M.Sc., Ph.D. Objective: The objective of this study was to three-dimensionally evaluate the pharyngeal dimensions of individuals with complete nonsyndromic unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) using cone beam computed tomography. Design: This was a cross-sectional prospective study. Setting: The study took place at the Laboratory of Physiology, Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of Sa ˜ o Paulo, Bauru-SP, Brazil. Patients and Participants: The control group (CON) consisted of 23 noncleft adults with class III malocclusion, and the cleft group (UCLP) consisted of 22 individuals with UCLP and class III malocclusion. Participants in both groups were evaluated. Two subgroups of individuals with class III malocclusion as a result of maxillary retrusion with (UCLP‘; n ¼ 19) and without (CON‘; n ¼ 8) clefts were also assessed. Interventions: Pharyngeal volume, pharyngeal minimal cross-sectional area (CSA), location of CSA, pharyngeal length, SNA, SNB and ANB angles, and body mass index were assessed using Dolphin software. Main Outcome Measure: The pharyngeal dimensions of UCLP individuals are smaller when compared with controls. Results: Mean pharyngeal volume (standard deviation) for the UCLP patients (20.8 [3.9] cm 3 ) and the UCLP‘ patients (20.3 [3.9] cm 3 ) were significantly decreased when compared with the CON (28.2 [10.0] cm 3 ) and CON‘ patients (29.1 [10.2] cm 3 ), respectively. No differences were found in the pharyngeal minimal CSA, ANB, or pharyngeal length values between groups (CON versus UCLP and CON‘ versus UCLP‘). CSAs were located mostly at the oropharynx, except in the UCLP‘ patients, which were mainly at the hypopharynx. Mean SNA in the UCLP (76.48 [4.68]) and UCLP‘ groups (75.18 [3.18]) were significantly smaller than those in the CON (82.88 [4.18]) and CON‘ groups (78.68 [1.28]). SNB values were statistically smaller only for the comparison of CON versus UCLP patients. Conclusion: The pharynx of individuals with UCLP and class III malocclusion is volumetri- cally smaller than that of individuals with class III malocclusion and no clefts. KEY WORDS: cleft palate, cone beam computed tomography, pharynx Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is the most prevalent congenital malformation in humans. Primary plastic surgery, which main objective is to repair the anatomy and function of the lip and palate, may impair maxillary growth. Consequently, nasal morphophysiology is nega- tively impacted, leading to deformities such as septal deviation and turbinate hypertrophy. These changes Dr. Trindade-Suedam is Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Bauru School of Dentistry and Laboratory of Physiology, Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of Sa˜o Paulo, Bauru, SP, Brazil. Dr. Lima is Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Laboratory of Physiology, Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of Sa˜o Paulo, Bauru, SP, Brazil. Ms. Campos is Physical Therapist and PhD student, Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Science, Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of Sa˜o Paulo, Bauru, SP, Brazil. Dr. Yaed´u is Assistant Professor, Department of Stomatology, Bauru School of Dentistry and Hospital for Rehabili- tation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of Sa˜o Paulo, Bauru, SP, Brazil. Dr. Filho is Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Br˚anemark Institute Bauru, Professor, University of Sacred Heart, Bauru, SP, Brazil. Dr. Trindade is Full Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Bauru School of Dentistry and Laboratory of Physiology, Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of Sa˜o Paulo, Bauru, SP, Brazil. Financial support provided by FAPESP (Sa˜o Paulo Research Foundation), Sa˜o Paulo, SP, Brazil. Submitted April 2015; Revised September 2015, January 2016; Accepted March 2016. Address correspondence to: Ivy Kiemle Trindade-Suedam, Rua Silvio Marchione, 3-20, Bauru, SP 17043-900, Brazil. E-mail ivysuedam@fob.usp.br. DOI: 10.1597/15-124 0 The Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal 00(00) pp. 000–000 Month 0000 Ó Copyright 2016 American Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Association