The Impact of Presurgical Nasoalveolar Molding on Midface Growth in Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective Nasoalveolar molding (NAM) can optimize aesthetic outcomes in patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP), particularly in those with wider clefts. However, its impact on long-term postoperative sequelae such as midface hypoplasia (MFH) remains unclear. This study analyzed cephalometric data to evaluate NAM's effect on MFH in patients with complete unilateral CLP (UCLP). Design Systematic Review and Meta Analysis. Patients Included studies reported cephalometrics of patients ≥ 7 years old with repaired UCLP who underwent presurgical NAM versus no-NAM (control). Studies of bilateral cases or unoperated clefts were excluded. Main Outcome Measures Main outcomes were cephalometric angles (sella-nasion-A point (SNA), sella-nasion-B point (SNB), and A point-nasion-B point (ANB)) of patients treated with NAM vs. no-NAM. Results Of 2063 articles, three met inclusion criteria. Cephalometrics were reported for 171 patients (89 NAM, 82 no-NAM) at an average age of 8.5 ± 0.9 years. On pooled analysis, compared to the no-NAM cohort, the NAM cohort had insignificantly smaller SNA (78.8°±1.5° vs. 76.7°±1.5°, p = 0.169), SNB (75.5°±1.0° vs. 75.5°±1.0°, p = 0.954), and ANB (3.6°±1.4° vs. 1.23°±1.2°, p = 0.089) angles. Upon meta-analysis, compared to the no-NAM cohort, the NAM cohort had significantly smaller SNA (Mean Difference (MD) −1.96 [−3.31 to −0.61], p = 0.005) and ANB angles (MD −2.22 [−3.20 to −1.24], p < 0.001). Conclusion This meta-analysis revealed that patients with UCLP who underwent presurgical NAM had significantly smaller SNA and ANB angles, possibly indicating worse MFH. Before choosing NAM, clinicians should consider CLP severity, potential sagittal growth restrictions, and feasibility, particularly in low-resource settings.