This course will review the current management and treatment strategies of the patient with a cleft lip and palate from birth to age 18. An evidence-based approach to management will be discussed.
The incidence of cleft lip/palate is approximately 1:800 in the United States. Cleft lip/palate patients frequently request dental and orthodontic care in clinics not necessarily supported by a craniofacial team. This course will review the current management and treatment strategies of the patient with a cleft lip and palate from birth to age 19.
The course will enable you to:
-Become familiar with the timing of lip and palate repair and its relation to facial development and speech
-Learn the indications and contraindications for infant orthopedic appliances prior to lip repair
-Understand the orthodontic development of the dental arch prior to alveolar bone grafting
-Understand the indications of alveolar bone grafting and the role of bioengineering
-Become familiar with the indications and procedures of pre-surgical orthodontic preparation in the adolescent patient
-Identify the indications for distraction osteogenesis in maxillary surgery