1. Long-Term Outcomes for Adult Patients With Cleft Lip and Palate.
- Author
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Connolly KA, Kurnik NM, Truong TA, Muller C, Beals PH, Singh DJ, and Beals SP
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Female, Humans, Male, Malocclusion, Middle Aged, Nose, Oral Fistula epidemiology, Oral Fistula etiology, Retrospective Studies, Speech, Time Factors, Treatment Outcome, Young Adult, Cleft Lip surgery, Cleft Palate surgery
- Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate a single center's experience with adult patients who had cleft lip, cleft palate, or both. The authors aimed to identify common long-term needs in this patient population and evaluated the relationship of team-based care in meeting those needs. To do so, the authors retrospectively reviewed chart records from a single private practice and tertiary referral cleft center for all patients who were ≥15 years of age and who had a history of clefts of the lip or palate, or both, from January 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014. The authors compared the concerns of the patients who received cleft-team-based care by a single, multidisciplinary cleft team; multiple multidisciplinary cleft teams; or no formal cleft team. The authors analyzed data for 142 patients. The most common patient concerns were lip aesthetics (64%), nose aesthetics (61%), septal deviations (47%), nasal obstruction (44%), malocclusion (32%), oronasal fistulas (29%), and speech (21%). Oronasal fistulas were more commonly reported in the group of patients who had care by multiple teams (42.9%; P < .001). Malocclusion was more commonly reported in the group of patients who had care by multiple teams (50%; P = .001). The authors found that adult patients who have undergone rehabilitation for cleft lip and palate appear to have a common set of long-term needs. Multidisciplinary cleft-team-based care appears to be the most effective way to address these needs.
- Published
- 2019
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