INTERDISCIPLINARY REHABILITATION OF PATIENT WITH SOFT CLEFT PALATE: CASE REPORT

• Published in: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral radiology Vol. 137; no. 6; p. e210
• Main Authors: ISMERIM, Adna Barros, VELAME, Maria Leticia Menezes, MONTEIRO, Adriano Monteiro D´Almeida, NEVES, Carolina Gomes, DULTRA, Fátima Karoline Araújo Alves, CARNEIRO JÚNIOR, Bráulio, de FREITAS, Maria da Conceição Andrade
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.06.2024
• ISSN: 2212-4403; 2212-4411
• DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2023.12.306

This study aims to outline the rehabilitation of a patient with a cleft involving the soft palate, necessitating an interdisciplinary approach involving medical, dental, and speech pathology professionals. The patient, a female with a diagnosis of cleft soft palate, clinodactyly in the 5th digits, and no associated syndrome, initiated her interdisciplinary treatment at one year of age with a palatoplasty procedure, continuing into adulthood. The oral rehabilitation encompassed pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, and prosthodontics. During childhood, she received palatal prostheses as part of the treatment for velopharyngeal dysfunction. In alignment with the speech therapy approach, she utilizes a pharyngeal obturator to address hypernasality. Furthermore, the patient presented with interarch and maxillomandibular discrepancies, necessitating orthodontic interventions. The study concludes that a comprehensive rehabilitation of individuals with cleft palate demands an interdisciplinary approach following a specialized center's treatment protocol. This approach is crucial for reestablishing aesthetics, phonetics, function, as well as promoting social and emotional integration.