The parameters of care for cleft lip and palate patients in Aarhus, Denmark.

Aarhus Cleft Palate Institute receives approximately 75 new cleft patients a year. Due to statuary notification of all newborn cleft patients to the Institute, the treatment protocol can be offered to the family from right after birth, and a coordinated team approach can be established. The individually planned primary surgery, speech and growth of the maxillo-facial skeleton is followed by regular team examinations. Speech development is followed from the child is one year old in order to be able to provide speech assessment as soon as problems of hypernasality and articulation disorders or language delay is evident. One of the goals of speech assessment is to achieve acceptable speech as early as possible and at best before school start. Orthodontic treatment is usually started at 8 years of age, in UCLP and BCLP patients in combination with bonegrafting at 9-11 years of age. In patients with impaired growth of the maxilla, attention is paid to identify candidates for orthognathic surgical treatment as early as possible. All secondary surgical treatment on jaws, lips and nose are coordinated and usually the treatment can be finished by the late teens. The described team approach towards the parameters of care for cleft lip and palate patients has basically been used for more than 50 years. A systematic follow-up and data collection on all patients provide a scientific base for evaluation of treatment results. Based on long-term investigations the protocol has gradually been modified during time to improve the quality of patient care.