Cleft lip and palate

Abstract

From birth, the child with clefting abnormalities faces a diversity of disturbances of life-sustaining functions, like respiration and intake of food and water. Child's parents must received specific instructions and special support from professionals of various disciplines, including pediatrician, otolaryngologist, neurologist, plastic surgeon, geneticist, speech pathologist, social workers and dental specialist. In most cases, these children require treatment from birth to 18 years old or, some of them, all their lifes.