Feeding Plate of an Eight-day-old Patient Having Veau Type III Cleft Lip and Palate

Congenital Cleft lip and palate is a craniofacial defect which results into difficulty in feeding because of the communication between the oral and nasal cavities. Feeding plate restores the gap between the oral and nasal cavities and helps in feeding and reduces the chances of airway problems, regurgitations. This clinical report describes a design and method of fabricating a feeding plate in an 8-day old neonate with a cleft lip and palate.

Use of stem cells in tissue engineering and reconstruction of the maxillofacial region

The oral and craniofacial defect reconstruction has been a daunting task for several decades. Many clinicians have attempted to switch surgical techniques in flap transfer to enhance the purposeful outcomes. In many cases, however, near total restoration of the native anatomy is not achievable. Also, the normal functional performance is not attainable, regardless of the surgical technique used. This problem is more evident within the oral and craniofacial region considering the importance of functions, such as speech, chewing, and appearance. Stem cells have attracted a growing interest within the scientific community chiefly for their ability to regenerate broken tissues and conjointly for their known potential in modulating inflammatory and immune responses. These skills have caused stem cells to be thought about as a promising strategic tool for a range of clinical maxillofacial applications. In this review, authors briefly summarize the applications of stem cells in maxillofacial surgery.

Biomaterials for Cleft Lip and Palate Regeneration

Craniofacial bone defect anomalies affect both soft and hard tissues and can be caused by trauma, bone recessions from tumors and cysts, or even from congenital disorders. On this note, cleft/lip palate is the most prevalent congenital craniofacial defect caused by disturbed embryonic development of soft and hard tissues around the oral cavity and face area, resulting in most cases, of severe limitations with chewing, swallowing, and talking as well as problems of insufficient space for teeth, proper breathing, and self-esteem problems as a consequence of facial appearance. Spectacular advances in regenerative medicine have arrived, giving new hope to patients that can benefit from new tissue engineering therapies based on the supportive action of 3D biomaterials together with the synergic action of osteo-inductive molecules and recruited stem cells that can be driven to the process of bone regeneration. However, few studies have focused on the application of tissue engineering to the regeneration of the cleft/lip and only a few have reported significant advances to offer real clinical solutions. This review provides an updated and deep analysis of the studies that have reported on the use of advanced biomaterials and cell therapies for the regeneration of cleft lip and palate regeneration.