Cleft lip and cleft palate, an ancient disease known in ancient China as “hare’s lip” or “wolf’s throat,” is the most common congenital developmental malformation of the jaw and face. Worldwide, newborns with cleft lip and palate are born every minute. According to the information published by the National Birth Defect Detection Center, the comprehensive incidence of cleft lip and palate in China has reached 1.82‰, and the prevalence rate in individual provinces is as high as 3.07‰, and the prevalence rate of men and women is about 2:1. Cleft lip is mainly manifested by different degrees of clefting from the upper lip to the nostrils to form a special cleft lip face. °. Cleft palate is mainly manifested as a cleft in the palate from the uvula (uvula) to the maxillary anterior teeth area, which is also divided into Ⅰ°, Ⅱ°, Ⅲ° and unilateral and bilateral according to the degree and location of cleft.
The upper lip of children with cleft lip and palate has a special structure that prevents them from performing functional movements such as sucking and cheek puffing, which are easy for normal people, and often affects their nutrition and development to a great extent. Children with cleft lip and palate are also subjected to coldness, rejection and ridicule in communication because of their special cleft lip and cleft palate voice, which in time makes them withdrawn, autistic and even have low self-esteem. If the cleft lip and palate deformity persists into adulthood, it can affect school, work and marriage. At the same time, it can also bring huge mental pressure and economic burden to the parents of the affected child, and some parents even have the idea of abandoning their children due to excessive pessimism.
Because the impact of cleft lip and palate deformities on patients occurs with growth and development, with unique problems occurring at different ages, treatment cannot be accomplished in a single surgery or at a single stage, but rather should be a sequential and progressive treatment. Sequential treatment of cleft lip and palate requires a team of specialists to evaluate and diagnose the condition of the child at different times, develop a practical plan, and implement it throughout the child’s growth and development.
The time span of the sequential treatment is flexible, so the maxillofacial surgeon will develop the best individualized treatment plan according to the child’s condition. Families of children with cleft lip and palate should actively seek medical attention and get their children treated as early as possible, so that they do not miss the best time to treat their children due to avoidance of treatment.
Although the danger of congenital cleft lip and palate is great and the treatment is complicated, as long as we break the fear, face it objectively, actively seek medical treatment and carefully implement the sequence of treatment, we can obtain good treatment results and transform the child’s life and show a bright smile in the sunshine.