Cleft lip and palate is the most common congenital malformation of the maxillofacial region, accounting for two-thirds of all facial malformations. According to statistics, one child with cleft lip and palate occurs in every 500 to 1,000 births worldwide, and their arrival invariably brings great shock, disappointment and pain to the entire family.
What causes the occurrence of cleft lip and palate deformity?
1, genetic factors: Cleft lip and palate patients have similar deformities in their immediate or collateral relatives, and thus it is believed that such deformities have some relationship with genetics. Usually if the parents are normal, the likelihood of having a first child with cleft lip and palate is 1/500 to 1/1000; if the parents are normal and the first child has cleft lip and palate, the likelihood of having a second child with cleft lip and palate is 5%; if the parents are normal and the first and second child have cleft lip and palate, the likelihood of having a third child with cleft lip and palate is 25%; if one of the parents has cleft lip and palate. If one parent has a cleft lip and palate, the probability of having a child with a cleft lip and palate is 5%; if one parent has a cleft lip and palate and one child has a cleft lip and palate, the probability of having a second child with a cleft lip and palate is 25%; if both parents have a cleft lip and palate, the probability of having a first child with a cleft lip and palate is 25%. These are much higher than the normal incidence of cleft lip and palate of about 0.13%.
2, environmental factors: mainly refers to the environment in which the embryo develops in the mother, if disturbed can affect the growth and development of the embryo leading to the occurrence of malformations, mainly including: (1) infection and injury: the mother in early pregnancy encountered some kind of viral infection, such as rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, influenza virus A2 and virus H1 has a certain relationship with the occurrence of congenital facial malformations; early pregnancy of the mother suffered some kind of injury (2) nutritional factors: maternal vomiting and partial feeding in early pregnancy can affect nutritional intake, resulting in obvious deficiencies of calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamins A, B and E, which can easily lead to fetal cleft lip and palate; (3) endocrine effects: early pregnancy can cause endocrine disorders due to physiological, mental or injury; (4) drug factors: endocrine disorders can be caused by physiological, mental or injury. (4) drug factors: the mother’s early pregnancy such as taking certain antibiotics (such as tetracycline), anti-malignant drugs (such as aminoglutethimide), adrenocorticotropic hormones (such as prednisone), certain anticonvulsant drugs (such as phenytoin sodium), etc. can lead to fetal cleft lip and palate malformations.
Cleft lip and palate not only affects the appearance, language and other physical functions of the affected children, but also often causes secondary dental and maxillofacial deformities, which makes the patients suffer from long-term psychological burden and affects normal life, study and social interaction, causing great pain to them and their families. How to make children with cleft lip and palate smile like angels again?
In fact, cleft lip and palate deformity is one of the most curable of all congenital defects, and the intellectual development of cleft lip and palate patients is almost unaffected. Reasonable and perfect treatment can relieve patients and their families of a lifetime of pain, allowing them to integrate into society with confidence and live happily. The treatment of cleft lip and palate patients needs to be carried out by oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, prosthodontics, ENT and psychologists in stages, i.e. from the birth of cleft lip and palate children to grown-ups, at different stages of growth and development, and at the best time of various treatments, a comprehensive sequence of treatment is used to get the best treatment effect.
The specific steps of the sequential treatment for cleft lip and palate patients are as follows: 1. Publicity of early treatment of cleft lip and palate: through various channels, parents can learn the basic knowledge about cleft lip and palate, treatment steps and treatment effects after the child is born; 2. Orthodontic treatment for newborns: wear palatal braces as early as possible to block the cleft of the oral and nasal cavity, so as to facilitate the child’s diet and growth and development; 3. Repair of cleft lip: repair surgery can be performed when the child is 3-6 months old and weighs more than 5 kg; surgery can be performed after the child is 6 months old for bilateral cleft lip; 4. 7. Preschool treatment: at the age of 5-6 years, the child should be examined for dental deformity or speech function and treated accordingly if necessary (orthodontic treatment for incomplete pharyngeal closure after cleft palate surgery and second-stage cleft lip surgery); 8. Cleft bone grafting: at the age of 9-12 years, the child should undergo cleft bone grafting to improve the lip-nose deformity and guide the eruption of cuspids; 9. 10.Orthognathic surgery: the patient will be reviewed at the age of 18 to understand the development of jaws and face, and orthognathic surgery, nasal malformation and nasal septoplasty will be performed if necessary.
11.Psychotherapy: carry out the whole treatment process, pay attention to the psychological condition of patients and family members, make them treat the disease correctly and actively cooperate with the treatment for the best treatment effect.
The treatment of cleft lip and palate patients is a long and complicated process, which requires close cooperation and perseverance among the child, parents and medical staff to achieve good treatment results.