Team Care of the Patient with Cleft Lip and Palate

u u m l t f F o b A rcheological data and ancient historical records document the presence of cleft lip and palate and even attempts to surgically epair the cleft defect. Current estimates suggest hat as many as 6500 babies are born each year in he United States with orofacial clefts, including left palate and cleft lip with and without cleft alate. The prevalence of orofacial clefts (cleft lip nd palate and cleft lip alone) during the period rom 1999 to 2001 is estimated to be 16.86 per 0,000 live births and that of trisomy 21 was stimated to be 13.65 per 10,000 live births. The are of children with orofacial clefts is complex and team approach to their care is widely recommendd. The American Cleft Palate Association “Paameters for Evaluation and Treatment of Patients ith Cleft Lip/Palate and Other Craniofacial Anomlies” (revised 2004) suggests that teams may inlude professionals from audiology, radiology, geetics and genetic counseling, nursing, pediatrics, ral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, denistry, otolaryngology, psychology, social work, and peech pathology among others. Teams see patients t regular intervals, meet to discuss the needs of the amily, and make recommendations to the family so plan can be formulated for management of the raniofacial defect and associated medical probems.