ABSTRACT
Overall incidence of cleft lip and palate is 1:700 in live human births. Cleft lip occurs in 20–30% of cases, cleft lip and palate in 35–50%, and cleft palate alone in 30–45%. Sex prediction shows male-to-female ratio as 3:2. Etiology could be either hereditary or environmental. A congenital orofacial cleft that manifests at birth affects facial esthetics, speech, mastication, and deglutition and ultimately leads to impairment in dental occlusion. Problems caused by abnormal growth and development require early medical and surgical intervention. Surgical treatment starts at around the age of 2–3 months, to shift the protruding premaxilla to a more distal position that aids in sucking. Meantime, prosthetic treatment is planned to facilitate feeding by developing normal sucking reflex and to prevent any abnormal tongue and oral habits which may affect normal speech development. This review article discusses the prosthetic management of cleft lip and cleft palate patients.
Keywords:Cleft lip, Cleft palate, Feeding obturator, Nasoalveolar cleft.