Understanding Cleft Palate
Thesis Statement:
Recently, cases of cleft palate cases are reported to be increasing. Parents in all part of the world can be worried about facial deformation that results from cleft palate more so if they do not have a good understanding of what cleft palate is. However, the deformities, just like a lot of congenital defects can be managed to make it plausible for patients to lead a normal life.
Search strategy and evaluation of resources:
Cleft palate and other facial malformation can be so detrimental to a child in many different ways. However, the author alludes that the invention of many fascinating clinical interventional methods for birth defects treatment in the world today helps clinicians treat very fragile craniofacial malformations. The delicate abnormalities were beyond treatment realm of the most skilled clinicians due to inadequate technologies. For this reason, when a child gets early treatment, his or her quality of life improves significantly. Cleft lip and palate reconstruction can improve the facial look of the child. Apart from the defect being disfiguring, the malformation may have adverse effects on a child, for instance, they will have problems when feeding and problems with speech development.
The Cleft Palate Story is an appropriate book for the research as it has enabled me to get an in-depth understanding of what causes cleft palate and how people should handle the condition. Further, the information from the book is reliable because it was published by Quintessence Publishing Company- a publishing company known to publish credible books. Moreover, the author, Samuel Berkowitz was a long time practicing doctor at Eliot city. He has published more books such as plastic surgery of the facial skeleton.
Further, I went to the Mayo Clinic website and read an article titled Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate authored by a Mayo clinic staff. Mayo Clinic is an organization that is recognized worldwide in providing valid information and treatment about various illnesses. The article is, therefore, valid, and I chose it for my research as it gave detailed information about symptoms, causes, risk factors, complications and treatment of Cleft palate. Risk factors to cleft palate are multifactorial; one single factor would rarely cause it. The significant risk factors are genetic and environmental factors. Besides the genetic and environmental risk factors, there exists another factor which includes but not limited to the following: excessive smoking of tobacco, excessive consumption of alcohol, the use of drugs like marijuana and heroin, inadequate diet and vitamins and lack of adequate prenatal care.
The signs and symptoms associated with Cleft palate may vary from one child to another. According to the article, a cleft lip and cleft palate are normally detectable physically at birth. Doctors may begin coordinating care after the detection. If a baby has signs of a submucous cleft palate, it is necessary to make an appointment with your his doctor. From the article, persons with cleft have congenital anomalies higher compared to people without it. They have deformed faces which may include a depression of nostril on sides with a cleft, upper lip deficiency which is mostly and sometimes larger than the lower lip. Patients with cleft palate have an irregular position of teeth and the incapacity to close the lips, breathing through the mouth all together influence the growth of bacterial plague. For these reasons, they are thus required to learn and be helped in accomplishing personal oral care more so on the cleft areas.
Frequently, the patients are diagnosed with infections of the upper respiratory and infections of the middle ear. Patients diagnosed with cleft palate have a problem with their noses and throat. The nose and throat defects obstruct sufficient exchange of gasses in the body of the patient. As a result, it is proper for the infant to gain early treatment. In addition to the problems with airway, the patients always have feeding problems. Moreover, the patients have problems with their speech as they cannot coordinate the muscles in the mouth well. Finally, patients with cleft palate, compared to people without having a higher incidence of loss of hearing. However, the article says that it is important to know that sometimes a cleft may appear in the soft palate muscles, located at the far-end of the mouth, which is covered by the mouth lining. This type of cleft will often go undetected at birth, hence cannot be diagnosed until children develop signs later.
For analysis of treatment available for cleft palate, I retrieved a journal from EBSCO ebook database titled Intensive speech therapy for cleft palate children and authored by Albery, & Enderby in 1984. My research is about how cleft palate and the conditions associated with it can be managed. The academic journal was thus necessary for me as it explains the best time and how much therapy should be given to children once they have been diagnosed with cleft palate. The Author says early and intensive therapy should be given to children who are diagnosed with cleft palate. According to the authors, ‘‘intensive therapy is a better option to conventional therapy. This is because patients realize improvements in their speech that results from greater involvement and commitment to therapy’’. The authors Liz Albery and Pam Enderby are speech and language therapists with several years of experience. Further, the academic research was published in British Journal of Disorders of Communication, which is a reputable journal.
In conclusion, a good understanding of the causes of cleft palate and the possible solutions that can be taken to manage the condition is necessary. Parents should not give up on their children when they are diagnosed with the condition. Cleft palate is not a disability. Rather, it should be treated early through surgery and therapy. The early treatment will make the life of the patient worth living.
References
Berkowitz, S. (1994). The cleft palate story. Quintessence Publishing Company.
Mayo Clinic, (2015). Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cleft-palate/basics/risk-factors/con-20024619
Albery, L., & Enderby, P. (1984). Intensive speech therapy for cleft palate children. British journal of disorders of communication, 19(2), 115-124.
