Presurgical orthopedics in patients with cleft lip and palate: clinical cases

Abstract

Cleft lip and palate is the most prevalent congenital facial deformity. Alveolar and nasal reconstruction has been the main challenge for the surgeon in the first months after birth. Thus, presurgical nasoalveolar molding was introduced to mold the nasal cartilage, premaxilla, and alveolar process, and promote better aesthetic and post-surgical stability in the initial surgical procedure. Two case reports of presurgical nasoalveolar molding are presented. In both cases, the cleft defect’s dimension on the primary palate was substantially reduced, and the nasal tip projection was improved. The changes obtained by the presurgical nasoalveolar molding remained stable after the surgical procedure. (Rev Port Estomatol Med Dent Cir Maxilofac. 2020;61(4):xxx-xxx)