Oral Health-related Quality of Life in Children with Orofacial Clefts

Objectives : To determine the impact of orofacial clefts on the oral health-related quality of life of affected children and whether the oral health-related quality of life of children with orofacial clefts differs among different age groups. To assess whether the responses of children with orofacial clefts differ from the caregivers' perceptions of their child's oral health-related quality of life and compare with data from a control group. Design : Cross-sectional study. Patients/Setting : A total of 75 subjects with cleft lip and/or cleft palate (mean age, 13.0 years) from the Nationwide Children's Hospital Craniofacial Anomalies Clinic, as well as their caregivers, and 75 control subjects (mean age, 13.9 years). Main Outcome Measure : Self-reported oral health-related quality of life measured with the Child Oral Health Impact Profile, a reliable and valid questionnaire designed for use with children and teenagers. Results : Children with orofacial clefts had statistically significant lower quality of life scores than control subjects had for overall oral health-related quality of life, Functional Well-being, and Social Emotional Well-being. There was a statistically significant difference in the interaction of age group and Social-Emotional Well-being between children with orofacial clefts and control children. No statistically significant differences were found between the responses of children with orofacial clefts and their caregivers' reports. Conclusions : Presence of an orofacial cleft significantly decreases overall oral health-related quality of life, Functional Well-being, and Social-Emotional Well-being in children and adolescents. The negative impact of orofacial clefts on Social-Emotional Well-being is greater in 15- to 18-year-olds than in younger age groups. Children with orofacial clefts and their caregivers had very similar evaluations of the child's oral health-related quality of life.