Cleft lip and palate is one of the more common oral and maxillofacial deformities with a high incidence. With the development and advancement of medicine, the treatment of cleft lip and palate is no longer a simple surgical repair of the cleft, but includes a series of comprehensive rehabilitation involving cosmetic, anatomical, functional, psychological and patient-social relationships. A consensus has gradually emerged.
Simply put, a child with cleft lip and palate will exhibit its corresponding morphological, physiological, and psychological defects at each stage of growth and development from birth to adulthood. Cleft lip and palate sequential treatment is a comprehensive implementation system involving multidisciplinary specialists to treat the patient at the appropriate age and according to certain procedures.
It is a planned and purposeful treatment procedure with multidisciplinary participation. The multidisciplinary specialists that make up the TEAM include maxillofacial surgery, pediatrics, orthodontics, internal dentistry, plastic surgery, prosthodontics, otorhinolaryngology, orthognathic surgeons, specialists in speech pathology, medical imaging, nursing, genetics, psychology, aesthetic medicine, as well as social and public health workers. This concept appeared in the country in the early 1990s.
In China, due to various factors such as economic and regional culture, the number of hospitals and patients who can provide and receive the complete sequence of treatment is still very limited, but this concept has gradually been accepted and gradually worked towards by more doctors and patients. It includes many elements from patients to relatives, from clinical to social, and requires the cooperation and understanding of many parties to complete. The most important basic elements should include surgical treatment, orthopedic and orthodontic treatment, speech therapy, treatment of middle ear disorders and hearing loss, treatment of dental and periodontal diseases, and psychological treatment.