Team Care Protocols for Individuals with Cleft Lip and Palate and Modified Protocols for Developing Countries

Abstract

Team care is essential to meet the medical, surgical, dental, orthodontic, and psychological needs of individuals with cleft lip and palate. The currently accepted standards of care can only be met if the appropriate specialists work together in the diagnosis and treatment planning, both immediate and long term and in the execution of the various treatments needed. Interdisciplinary team care provides the best overall outcomes for the individual and is also the most efficacious and cost-effective way of meeting the goals of treatment. Interdisciplinary cleft team members should also be a resource in educating parents, students, and other healthcare providers and may participate in research in prevention, interception, and regeneration. We present here the orthodontic protocols of the cleft and craniofacial team at the University of California at San Francisco and provide guidelines for the most essential treatment.