Periodontal Findings in Children with Cleft Lip and Palate: A Systematic Review

A cleft lip occurs when the tissues that compose the lip fail to fuse together before delivery. There is a gap in the upper lip in the case of a cleft lip. An affected child may also have a cleft palate if they have a cleft lip. The condition is also sometimes diagnosed after birth. A cleft palate sometimes takes a long time to be diagnosed (such as sub mucous cleft palates and bifid uvulas). The surgical repair of a child's face can improve their breathing, hearing, and even their speech and language skills. Using the Medline and PubMed Central databases, this study examined periodontal findings in children with clefted lip and palate using a systematic literature search in English. All search terms were in English and were applicable to the articles related to periodontal findings in children with cleft lip and palate. To electronically extract data from Medline and PubMed Central, an electronic form is designed by the principal investigator. Upon screening using filters, inclusion and exclusion criteria, around 6 articles were selected related in this study. These articles were systematically reviewed and analyzed using PRISMA. When a child has a cleft lip or palate, it affects oral hygiene and the amount of periodontal pathogens in the oral biofilm. In the literature, there is a lack of studies which utilize validated, reliable measures to determine how individuals with oral clefts perceive their quality of life. It will be important to perform additional studies that utilize specific tools for assessing Quality of Life in patients with oral clefts with larger samples in hopes of better understanding their Quality of Life.

Uso da aprendizagem colaborativa como ferramenta para avaliar anomalias craniofaciais sindrômicas

Almost 30% of oral clefts are associated with other structural abnormalities. However, little is known on orofacial characteristics associated with these cases since they are not systematically reported. To close this gap, we developed a collaborative learning approach supported by an interprofessional team aiming to carefully describe oral findings and impact the training of future professionals that hopefully will incorporate these descriptions on their clinical practice. The methodological proposal consisted of small group sessions focusing on a particular syndrome or group of syndromes followed by the examination of patients with those conditions. Twenty cases were examined and studied over the course of one semester and a set of conditions to be identified in the orofacial region was defined. Here, we present a guideline that we suggest that dentists and dental institutions use. We also present the advantages of using collaborative learning as a tool in the training of the clinician.