Measuring the Impact of Quality of Life of Children Treated for Orofacial Clefts: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life (QoL) of children previously treated for cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and compare with non-cleft children. Method: A case-control study with 70 children between 5 and 12 years old was carried out. The case group consisted of 35 individuals previously treated for non-syndromic CL/P and presently receiving assessment at a rehabilitation hospital in Brazil. The children had received primary surgical treatment for CL/P reconstruction during early childhood. The control group consisted of 35 healthy children selected to ensure close similarity to the cleft group in age, gender and socioeconomic status. QoL was measured using the AUQEI questionnaire. Results: Cleft lip and palate had no significant influence on the QoL in children (p=0.44). A higher percentage of the cleft lip and palate group of children reported a lower QoL than the cleft lip or cleft palate groups. Gender had no significant difference on the quality of life in CL/P children (p=0.2) and in control group (p=1.0). Conclusion: The QoL in children with CL/P was found to be similar to the non-cleft group. Our results confirm that clefts repaired during earlier childhood associated with a health care program, including psychological support, is beneficial for CL/P children.

A comparison of health‐related quality of life in 5‐ and 10‐year‐old Swedish children with and without cleft lip and/or palate

“…A similar gender difference in the subscale ‘emotional role’ has been reported in adults by Mani et al ,. although there are also studies in children without gender differences.…”

“…Even after surgical treatments instituted early in life, some children with CL/P have atypical nasolabial aesthetics and visible scarring which together with anomalies in the jaws and teeth can contribute to aberrant facial appearance 2,3 . The children's multiple problems with speech impairment 4 , high frequency of middle ear effusion, hearing impairment 5 , and comprehensive medical and dental treatments may have consequences for the children's daily lives and children 0 s and adult 0 s perceptions of HRQoL [6][7][8][9][10][11] .…”

Children with orofacial clefts : dental caries and health-related quality of life

“…Our results confirmed findings in earlier studies that children with CL/P have as good and similar HRQoL as children without a cleft (Sagheri, Ravens-Sieberer et al 2009, Tannure, Soares et al 2013, Feragen and Stock 2014. Individuals with CL/P are well adjusted and able to cope with the special challenges they encounter living with a cleft (Marcusson, Paulin et al 2002, Locker, Jokovic et al 2005.…”

“…Lower, similar and higher HRQoL have been reported in children and adults with CL/P compared to non-cleft controls (Marcusson, Paulin et al 2002, Kramer, Gruber et al 2009, Sagheri, Ravens-Sieberer et al 2009, Mani, Carlsson et al 2010, Tannure, Soares et al 2013. Similar HRQoL have been reported in 8-12-year-old German children with CL/P measured with KINDL, a generic HRQoL instrument for children and adolescents, and in 5-12-year-old Brazilian children with CL/P versus non-cleft controls measuring QoL with Autoquestionnaire Qualitée de Vie Enfant Image (AUQEI), versus noncleft controls (Kramer, Gruber et al 2009).…”

“…According to the KIDSCREEN handbook this can be interpreted as girls feel good and are in a good mood more often than boys (Ravens-Sieberer, Gosch et al 2006). A similar gender difference in the subscale "emotional role" has been reported in adults by Mani et al (2010) although there are also studies in children without gender differences (Millar, Bell et al 2013, Tannure, Soares et al 2013). …”