References
Dental health of cleft patients attending the 18-month-old clinic at a specialised centre
Abstract
Orofacial clefts are the most common craniofacial anomaly and children with a cleft are at increased risk of dental caries and anomalies, the most common being hypodontia. This evaluation aimed to establish whether implemented changes after the first cycle led to improved oral health prevention in children attending the 18-month-year-old cleft dental appointment. A total of 44 records were analysed retrospectively over a 9-month period for the second cycle. The initial findings were presented locally and nationally to cleft teams, and an article discussing the dental health of 18-month-old cleft patients was published in the
Orofacial clefts are the most common craniofacial anomaly, with the incidence estimated to be between 1:600 and 1:750 live births in the UK (Tollefson and Shaye, 2018). The clinical manifestations of orofacial clefts are diverse, ranging from isolated clefts limited to the lip to more complex bilateral clefts of the lip, alveolus and palate. The aetiology of cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CLP) is thought to be multifactorial, with contribution of both genetic and environmental factors (Cobourne, 2004; Xu et al, 2018).
Approximately 30% of CLP cases are associated with a syndrome, and patients often present with a range of associated anomalies, not limited to the orofacial region (Nicholls, 2016). There are currently 11 regional cleft centres in the UK with paediatric dentists playing a vital role in the complex multidisciplinary care and management required for these patients (NHS England, 2013).
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