The GOSLON Yardstick in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate: Review of a Vienna sample

Objective:To compare a Vienna unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) patient sample with the Eurocleft samples using the GOSLON score, to determine the intra- and interrater agreement between several raters and ratings, and to establish whether training with the original GOSLON models enhances accuracy. Patients and Methods:One hundred twenty-three plaster casts of UCLP patients born between 1970 and 1997, with an average age of 9.2 years and all treated with the same regimen, were rated according to the GOSLON score. Results:Of the patients, 71.5% were ranked GOSLON 1 or 2. Only 8.9% were rated GOSLON 4 or 5. There were no significant differences between the different raters and the ratings. Training with the original GOSLON models increased kappa from 0.57 before training to 0.84 after training. Conclusion:The ¿Vienna concept¿ was found to be a good regimen for treating UCLP patients in regard to maxillary growth. Personal training on the original GOSLON models appears to improve the accuracy of rating.