Cleft Lip:
Cleft palate is a condition that occurs most commonly in Asians. In the Asian population a cleft occurs in 1 out of 800 cases. From 1999-2001 a cleft palate without a cleft lip occurred in 2,567 Americans and a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate occurred in 4,209 Americans. A cleft palate is a very complex birth defect and requires many different types of treatments. A cleft palate can be part of many different syndromes so genetic testing needs to be done when a baby is born with a cleft. Heart genetics are strongly linked to genetics of the palate so a large portion of children born with a cleft are also born with heart problems. Only genetic testing can determine what other health problems the cleft is linked to.
The biggest concern of a child born with a cleft is eating and growing. With a cleft palate there is an opening from the oral cavity to the nasal cavity so anything the baby takes in will come out of their nose. Special precautions need to be taken so that they are able to eat. There is a plastic plate that can be added to close the two cavities temporarily. There are also special bottles a baby with a cleft can use since they are unable to suck due to the cleft. Eating is the first problem that must be overcome with a palate so that the child is able to survive.
There are several factors that put an unborn child at risk for a cleft lip or a cleft palate. These factors include exposure to certain things in utero, family history, race, sex, and maternal obesity. Being exposed to cigarette smoke, alcohol, and drugs in utero increases a baby's chance of being born with a cleft. A cleft occurs most commmon in American Indian and Asian children. Black children are least likely to have a cleft. Males are twice as likely to have a cleft lip without a cleft palate. A cleft palate without a cleft lip are more common in females. All of these factors can cause a cleft palate or a cleft lip in a child.
A cleft causes different complications. These complications include feeding problems, ear infections and hearing loss, dental problems, speech problems, and psychological problems. Feeding problems occur because the oral cavity directly opens to the nasal cavity so anything that goes into the mouth comes out of the nose. Dental problems occur because the teeth are rearranged due to the split in the gums. A child will most likely also encounter psychological problems including social, emotional, and behavioral problems due to everything they will have to go through to repair their cleft. All of these issues need to be adressed when treating a cleft of any kind.
This website also provided information about current research that is being done. The current studies being conducted include articulation and phonology in children with unilateral cleft and lip palate, Cleft Orthognathic surgery versus Distraction Osteogenesis, 3D imaging of hard and soft tissue in Orthognathic surgery, relational development in children with cleft lips and palates: influence of the waiting period prior to the first surgical intervention and the parent's physchological perception of the abnormality, genetic analysis of hereditary non-syndromic oral clefts, and sleep and behavior in children with cleft palates. All of these studies will give greater incite into children with clefts. The website also provides information about treatment, nutrition including breastfeeding, how to cope with a cleft, disease management and dental care, specific conditions, questions about scars, pictures, financial problems, clinical trials for cleft lip and cleft palate, genetics, journal articles, organizations that help, and statistics. They break down their information into differenet sections that are targeted towards children, teenagers, adults, and patients with a cleft. The organizations that help with clefts include Easter Seals, March of Dimes, The Grottoes of North America, and the National Association for the Craniofacially Handicapped.
Overall this website was very helpful. It provided information that was known and also informs people about what is being researched. The information was provided in a very useful way. I would recommed this website for people to learn more about clefts. I really liked how the information was broken down for different types of people and age groups. I have not found another website that provided as much information as this one did. The only thing that I did not like about this website was that it did not mention Operation Smile. I personally know that Operation Smile is a major help for people who have clefts so I was very suprised that they did not mention Operation Smile. Other than not talking about Operation Smile I really enjoyed this website.
The biggest concern of a child born with a cleft is eating and growing. With a cleft palate there is an opening from the oral cavity to the nasal cavity so anything the baby takes in will come out of their nose. Special precautions need to be taken so that they are able to eat. There is a plastic plate that can be added to close the two cavities temporarily. There are also special bottles a baby with a cleft can use since they are unable to suck due to the cleft. Eating is the first problem that must be overcome with a palate so that the child is able to survive.
There are several factors that put an unborn child at risk for a cleft lip or a cleft palate. These factors include exposure to certain things in utero, family history, race, sex, and maternal obesity. Being exposed to cigarette smoke, alcohol, and drugs in utero increases a baby's chance of being born with a cleft. A cleft occurs most commmon in American Indian and Asian children. Black children are least likely to have a cleft. Males are twice as likely to have a cleft lip without a cleft palate. A cleft palate without a cleft lip are more common in females. All of these factors can cause a cleft palate or a cleft lip in a child.
A cleft causes different complications. These complications include feeding problems, ear infections and hearing loss, dental problems, speech problems, and psychological problems. Feeding problems occur because the oral cavity directly opens to the nasal cavity so anything that goes into the mouth comes out of the nose. Dental problems occur because the teeth are rearranged due to the split in the gums. A child will most likely also encounter psychological problems including social, emotional, and behavioral problems due to everything they will have to go through to repair their cleft. All of these issues need to be adressed when treating a cleft of any kind.
This website also provided information about current research that is being done. The current studies being conducted include articulation and phonology in children with unilateral cleft and lip palate, Cleft Orthognathic surgery versus Distraction Osteogenesis, 3D imaging of hard and soft tissue in Orthognathic surgery, relational development in children with cleft lips and palates: influence of the waiting period prior to the first surgical intervention and the parent's physchological perception of the abnormality, genetic analysis of hereditary non-syndromic oral clefts, and sleep and behavior in children with cleft palates. All of these studies will give greater incite into children with clefts. The website also provides information about treatment, nutrition including breastfeeding, how to cope with a cleft, disease management and dental care, specific conditions, questions about scars, pictures, financial problems, clinical trials for cleft lip and cleft palate, genetics, journal articles, organizations that help, and statistics. They break down their information into differenet sections that are targeted towards children, teenagers, adults, and patients with a cleft. The organizations that help with clefts include Easter Seals, March of Dimes, The Grottoes of North America, and the National Association for the Craniofacially Handicapped.
Overall this website was very helpful. It provided information that was known and also informs people about what is being researched. The information was provided in a very useful way. I would recommed this website for people to learn more about clefts. I really liked how the information was broken down for different types of people and age groups. I have not found another website that provided as much information as this one did. The only thing that I did not like about this website was that it did not mention Operation Smile. I personally know that Operation Smile is a major help for people who have clefts so I was very suprised that they did not mention Operation Smile. Other than not talking about Operation Smile I really enjoyed this website.
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