Objective: To assess the correlation between alveolar cleft measurements carried out using conventional radiography and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Patients and methods: Eleven patients were included in this cross-sectional, descriptive study. All patients presented pre-incisive and trans-incisive foramen clefts and had not been treated with bone grafting. Periapical and occlusal radiographs and CBCT scans were obtained from all patients. The following measurements were determined: on periapical radiographs, cleft width in relation to the adjacent teeth; on occlusal radiographs, cleft width of the cleft; on CBCT, cleft width in relation to the adjacent teeth, in a panoramic longitudinal section, for the assessment of correlation with periapical radiographic findings, and cleft width, in axial sections, for the assessment of correlation with occlusal radiographic findings. Radiographic measurements were calculated using a millimeter ruler, and CBCT measurements were carried out using the i-CAT Vision software. Statistical analysis was performed using Spearman’s rank correlation test.

Results: The following correlation coefficients were found between periapical radiography and CBCT: 0.618 in the apical third ( ρ = 0.05), 0.556 in the middle third ( ρ = 0.05), and 0.963 in the cervical third ( ρ = 0.01). Results between occlusal radiography and CBCT were as follows: 0.712 on the buccal aspect ( ρ = 0.01), 0.568 on the middle and 0.679 on the palatal aspects (both, ρ = 0.05).

Conclusion: Our findings indicate different positive correlation coefficients between measurements obtained with conventional radiography vs. CBCT, especially between periapical radiography and CBCT in the cervical third, and between occlusal radiography and CBCT on the buccal aspect of the cleft.

Conflict of interest : None declared.