In-depth survey of demographic, clinical, and operative measures in cleft lip and palate patients in Northwestern Turkey

Background: Orofacial clefts are the most common congenital craniofacial anomalies, globally. However, few reports describe cleft demographic, clinical, and surgical information in a Turkish population. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the demographic, clinical, surgical information and outcomes of cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) patients in Northwestern Turkey. Materials and Methods: We assessed demographic, clinical, operative characteristics, and postoperative complications data in this retrospective review of electronic medical records at a tertiary referral center from 2005 to 2015. Results: Our study included 150 CL/P patients (88 men, 62 women). Cleft lip and palate (CLP) was the most prevalent type of cleft (60%), followed by isolated cleft palate (31.3%) and isolated cleft lip (8.7%). The rates of maternal folic acid use, smoking, alcohol intake, and consanguinity were 83.3%, 5.3%, 1.3%, and 3.3%, respectively. Nasoalveolar molding was applied mostly in bilateral—not unilateral—CLP patients. The modified, extended Mohler technique was common for cleft lip repairs. Most cleft palate repairs used Bardach's two-flap palatoplasty combined with radical intravelar veloplasty. Most cases required grommet insertion. For cleft palate patients, myringotomy or paracentesis was performed in 12.8% of repairs, and acellular dermal matrix was used in 28.5% of repairs. Conclusion: Knowledge of CL/P characteristics is crucial for treatment planning and satisfactory health care. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess CLP data in a Turkish population.