Oral Hygiene and Periodontal Status in Cleft Lip and Palate Patients

The cleft lip, alveolus, and/or palate is the most common congenital malformation of the face. The annual incidence ranges from 1/2,000 to 1/5,000 births. Non-syndromic clefts are believed to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Factors such as exposure to teratogenic substances during pregnancy. Cleft lip and palate are seen twice as commonly in boys. The lip and alveolus anomaly is paramedian and is located at the philtrum level for the lip and at the level of the upper lateral incisors for the alveolar ridge. The diagnosis is clinical. Management requires multidisciplinary medical and surgical intervention from birth until the end of development. The oral disease represents a major health problem among patients with orofacial clefts. The prevalence and severity of oral disease among this group are higher when compared to the general population. Children and adults with cleft lip and palate are at increased risk for the development of gingival and periodontal diseases. This book analyses and compares the oral hygiene and periodontal status in patients with clefts of the palate (CP) and patients with unilateral cleft lip, palate and alveolus (UCLPA).