1- How can an infant with cleft lip or palate be breastfed?
Because of the poor sucking ability, infants with cleft lip or palate suffer from problems and difficulties, and a cleft palate milk bottle should be used. These vials can be purchased at pharmacies. The bottle should be held at an angle and the child should be placed in a standing or sitting position to prevent the milk from backing up into the nose.
2- How many surgeries must be performed to treat a cleft lip or palate?
At least one lip reconstruction should be performed when the child is ten weeks old, and one independent palate reconstruction should be performed when the child is one year old. However, it may require several surgeries, depending on the size of the incision, in order for the lip to reach a normal state, and additional surgeries may be required to improve speech and the ability to speak.
3- Does cleft palate affect the ability to breathe?
Approximately 70% of people with cleft palate have disturbances in the nasal airways and about 80% of them breathe through the mouth.
4- What is the main cause of cleft palate?
Cleft lip and cleft palate occurs due to genetic factors and other factors, so it has a genetic aspect and other aspects related to, for example, smoking of the mother during pregnancy, exposure to x-rays or drinking alcohol during pregnancy, and these factors may lead to cleft lip and palate. Medication use during pregnancy may lead to cleft lip and palate.
5- What is the age at which the necessary procedures must be taken and what are those procedures?
The cleft lip restoration is performed in the tenth week of life, while the cleft palate is performed when the child reaches the first year of life. Orthodontic treatment with a removable orthodontic device should begin at the age of 6 years, while orthodontic treatment with a fixed device should take place at the age of 12. Jaw surgery can be done at the 18th year and dental implants at the 18th year of life.
6-Why do children with cleft lip and palate suffer from many dental problems?
Children with cleft lip and palate are more prone to tooth decay than others, and often suffer from tooth loss, extra, missing or deformed teeth. In addition, the upper jaw of these patients does not develop and the lower jaw protrudes, thus patients with cleft lip and palate need a lot of dental and orthodontic treatments.
7-Can cleft lip and palate be diagnosed during pregnancy using ultrasound imaging?
A cleft lip can be diagnosed by starting an ultrasound at 13 weeks of pregnancy. As the fetus continues to grow, it becomes easier to accurately diagnose a cleft lip. When cleft palate occurs alone, it can be diagnosed using modern and modern ultrasound imaging devices.
8- Does folic acid prevent cleft palate?
Folic acid can prevent cleft lip and palate. A new study indicates that the use of folic chickpeas by pregnant women in early pregnancy reduces the risk of developing cleft lip and palate in the infant.
9- What are the procedures that can be taken to prevent cleft lip and palate in infants?
To prevent cleft lip and palate, folic acid should be used, smoking and alcohol should be avoided, x-rays should be avoided during pregnancy, and medicines should not be used. You must reach the ideal weight before pregnancy and consult specialists about the ideal weight during pregnancy.
10-How does cleft palate affect a child’s development?
Infants with a cleft palate generally have problems sucking and swallowing (feeding), and they are more prone to otitis media, which may affect their hearing. Lip and palate surgery leads to scars in the upper jaw and its lack of growth, and the patient in this case will need orthodontic treatment.
