Self-perceived oral health and orofacial aesthetics of cleft patients

• Published in: European archives of paediatric dentistry 2024-06, Vol.25 (3), p.359-366
• Main Authors: van der Knaap-Kind, L. S., Schipper, L. A., Bonifacio, C. C., Wolvius, E. B., Kragt, L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aesthetics; Age; Age groups; Caregivers; Data collection; Dental insurance; Dentistry; Health care facilities; Jaw; Likert scale; Medicine; Oral hygiene; Original Scientific; Original Scientific Article; Patients; Perceptions; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Teeth
• ISSN: 1818-6300; 1996-9805; 1996-9805
• DOI: 10.1007/s40368-024-00891-w

Purpose To evaluate the self-perceived oral health and aesthetics of the dentition and jaw in patients with different types of oral cleft, measured by patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Additionally, to compare the results of the PROMs between cleft lip and or/palate (CL/P) patients and non-affected controls. Methods 420 CL/P patients treated at the cleft team of the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, were included, and 138 non-cleft patients were recruited as control-group. Patient’s perceptions were retrospectively evaluated using the CLEFT-Q Teeth for dental aesthetics at ages 8, 12 and 22, CLEFT-Q Jaw for jaw aesthetics at ages 12 and 22, and the Child Oral Health Impact Profile—Oral Symptoms Subscale (COHIP-OSS) for oral health at ages 8 and 12. One-way ANOVA was used to compare differences in oral health and aesthetic perceptions among age-groups, cleft types, as well as between cases and controls. Results CL/P patients were significantly less satisfied than controls with their dental aesthetics ( p  = 0.001). CL/P patients reported significantly lower satisfaction on CLEFT-Q Teeth scores at ages 8 and 12, than at 22 years ( p