Characteristic of Cleft Lip and Palate Cases Attended to Khoula Hospital Cleft Center.

Cleft lip and/or palate are one of the most common birth defects around the world. This cross sectional study aimed to study characteristic of cleft lip and plate cases attended Khaula Hospital Cleft Center.

METHODS: The data were collected from Plastic Surgery Department of Khaula Hospital Muscat, Oman, between years 2010 and 2019. Data was collected using a form that included demographic distribution of patients, gender, age, birth weight, region, age when first attended hospital, associated congenital anomalies and syndromes, type of delivery, mother consumption of Folic Acid, types of cleft lip/palate, and surgeries done.

RESULTS: During 9 years period the total number of recorded patients having cleft Lip/Palate was 1899. 43.7% of cases had CLP, 36% had CP, 20.3% had complete fissuring of the lip. Sixty-eight percent of the children were between 0 and 3 months of age when they first attended Hospital. 6.2% of children had siblings with orofacial clefts. Congenital malformations associated with CL/P or syndromic cleft were seen in 31.1% of cases. 86.8% of children got operated at Hospital and most common types of surgeries were lip and palate repair. Twenty-three percent of patients had undergone orthodontic treatment, 49.3% of patients had speech therapy, 32.5% referred for ENT consultation, and 20.5% of patients got grommet inserted.

CONCLUSION: Prevalence of CL/P in Oman is 2.6 in 1000 live births. Two main possible reasons contributing to the increase seen in this prevalence can be increase in the number of live births in Oman and parent's education toward cleft treatment that led more patients attending hospital for treatment.