Rating dental arch relationships and palatal morphology with the EUROCRAN index on three different formats of dental casts in children with unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Clin Oral Investig. 2016 Jun;20(5):943-50. doi: 10.1007/s00784-015-1595-0. Epub

2015 Oct 13.

Sabelis AJ(1), Kuijpers MA(1), Nada RM(1)(2), Chiu YT(3), Bronkhorst EM(4),

Kuijpers-Jagtman AM(5), Fudalej PS(6)(7)(8).

Author information:

(1)Department of Orthodontics and Craniofacial Biology, Radboud University

Medical Center, Philips van Leydenlaan 25, NL 6525 EX, Nijmegen, The

Netherlands.

(2)Department of Developmental and Preventive Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry,

Kuwait University, Kuwait City, State of Kuwait.

(3)Department of Dentistry and Craniofacial Center, Chang Gung Memorial

Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

(4)Department of Cariology and Preventive Dentistry, Radboud University Medical

Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

(5)Department of Orthodontics and Craniofacial Biology, Radboud University

Medical Center, Philips van Leydenlaan 25, NL 6525 EX, Nijmegen, The

Netherlands. annemarie.kuijpers-jagtman@radboudumc.nl.

(6)Department of Orthodontics and Craniofacial Biology, Radboud University

Medical Center, Philips van Leydenlaan 25, NL 6525 EX, Nijmegen, The

Netherlands. orthodontics@dent.umcn.nl.

(7)Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, University of Bern,

Bern, Switzerland. orthodontics@dent.umcn.nl.

(8)Department of Orthodontics, Palacky University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech

Republic. orthodontics@dent.umcn.nl.

BACKGROUND: The EUROCRAN index has been used in inter-center studies to assess

dental arch relationship (DAR) and palatal morphology (PM) in children with

unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). For this type of inter-center research,

a scoring method that could be performed over the internet would be the most

effective. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the reliability

of application of the EUROCRAN index on 3D digital models or photographs of

plaster models instead of using plaster models.

METHODS: The EUROCRAN reference models were presented in three formats: plaster

models, 2D photographs of plaster models, and 3D digital models. Plaster models

of children with UCLP (n = 45) were rated. Of each case, all three formats were

rated by six calibrated observers in random order. The strength of agreement of

the ratings was assessed with kappa statistics. Concordance among observers was

evaluated with the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC).

RESULTS: The ICC showed a good inter-observer agreement for the DAR and poor

inter-observer agreement for the PM. Intra-observer agreement for the DAR was

moderate to very good, yet for the PM poor to moderate. Comparison between the

three formats per observer for the DAR was good or very good and for the PM

moderate to poor.

CONCLUSIONS: The overall results show that the EUROCRAN index is an acceptable

and reliable scoring method for the DAR on plaster models, 2D photographs of

plaster models, and 3D digital models. However, due to the small range of

deviations in palatal morphology between the cases in our study, the PM

component of the index was difficult to assess.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In clinical audits and inter-center studies, plaster models

can be substituted by 2D photographs of plaster casts or 3D digital models when

grading treatment outcome with the EUROCRAN index.

DOI: 10.1007/s00784-015-1595-0

PMCID: PMC4873539

PMID: 26462656 [Indexed for MEDLINE]