CLINICAL FEATURES, MANAGEMENT AND CONCLUSION

Clinical features: cosmetically looks ugly: Cleft lip may vary from a small notch in the

vermillion border to a complete separation extending in to the floor of the nose. Clefts may be

unilateral or bilateral and may involve the alveolar ridge.  Cleft palate may result to difficulty in

feeding, regurgitation ,lung infections, middle ear infections, dental decay  and  speech

delay/hyper nasal speech, inability to whistle, gargle, blow out a candle, of inflate a balloon .

MANAGEMENT :                               

      COSMETIC SURGERY  : the correction of cleft lip is undertaken earlier because Of the

obvious cosmetic problems.(three months of age)

      SURGICAL CLOSURE OF THE DEFECT:   restoring the normal anatomy of the cleft

palate undertaken later, but before the development of speech(around ten months of age)

      Treatment of lung infection  like pneumonia and atelectasis

      orthodontic correction,

      Speech therapy :If surgery is delayed beyond three years of age, a contoured speech bulb

can be attached to the posterior of a maxillary denture to accomplish occlusion of the

naso pharynx and help the child develop intelligible speech.

      Treatment of middle ear infection e.g., otitis media and conductive hearing loss.

      Healthy diet:-feeding can be continued with a Mead Johnson bottle or a cup.

      Use a crosscut nipple to prevent choking. Any nipple can be crosscut manually using a

single-edged razor blade. The crosscut is on the tongue side.

CONCLUSION

Cleft lip or palate is a congenital developmental deformity probably caused by maternal

exposure of drugs during pregnancy Because of this deformity the neonate gets difficulty in

feeding along with lung and middle ear infections. The only management remedy is surgical

correction of the defect.