Dr Peter Mossey – an expert in craniofacial anomalies and Medical Advisory Board member for the global children’s cleft charity, Smile Train, shares insight into what you can expect from a cleft surgery for your child.
Image courtesy of Smile Train
What is a cleft lip and/or palate?
“A cleft lip is a split in the upper lip, and a cleft palate is a hole in the roof of the mouth. A baby can be born with a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or both.
Cleft lips can range anywhere from a small gap on the upper lip, to a wide gap which reaches the nose. A cleft palate ranges from a small gap in the uvula – which is the small projection that hangs down from the end of the soft palate – to a split that runs from the uvula to the front part of baby’s gum.
Clefts can happen when babies are developing in the womb - the formation of our upper lip is separated into three different parts. Usually, these parts will meet and join from the nose downwards; however, if this sequence of steps is interrupted on either or both sides of our face, it can cause a unilateral cleft lip (one side) or a bilateral cleft lip (both sides).
Similarly, our palate is formed in two halves which join at around 12 weeks of pregnancy, separating the space in our nose, from our mouth. It’s difficult to determine exactly what causes the cleft, but it is thought to be a combination of both genetic and environmental factors.”
How can cleft surgery help your child?
“In the UK, the NHS immediately refers babies born with clefts to a multidisciplinary cleft team who treat them for free. This team will work closely with the new parents, providing them with information and support for their baby and family; and working with midwives and health visitors to ensure babies are safe and feeding well.
Treatment could include surgery on the nose as well as surgery to treat the front part of the palate. Surgery to treat a cleft lip is ideally carried out from the ages of 3 to 6 months, whereas cleft palate surgery tends to take place between 6 to 12 months of age. If a baby has another medical condition, the timeline of that surgery will depend on their individual progress.
Although stitches can be seen on the surface, a major part of the operation involves repairing the deeper internal structures, particularly the muscles in the lip and the palate. If a child’s cleft goes through the gum, then they may need to have an alveolar bone graft when they get a bit older – this usually tends to be when they are around 7-10 years old.”
What is Smile Train’s vision?
“In the UK, all aspects of cleft care, including feeding, surgery, speech therapy, hearing checks, dental care and orthodontics (braces) if needed, as well as genetic, paediatric and psychosocial care, are available at no cost.
However, there are many children around the world who are less fortunate and do not have access to the life-changing cleft surgery and treatment that they might need, which can permanently impact their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive.
Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft lip and palate organization, works to tackle this issue through their ‘teach a man to fish’ model, that offers training, funding, and resources to local medical professionals around the world to provide free cleft surgery and other forms of essential care to children in their own communities.
To date, Smile Train has provided over 1.5 million cleft surgeries worldwide, in over 90 countries. Smile Train works with over 1,100 partner hospitals to achieve its number one goal - to give every child with a cleft the opportunity for a full and healthy life.”
How you can get involved and help Smile Train.
“Cleft surgery costs as little as £150 and can take as little as 45 minutes. Fundraising efforts are vital in enabling Smile Train to continue to deliver life-changing cleft surgery and cleft care.
Smile Train’s annual fundraising event, the Big Smile Tea Party, is taking place over Easter from Thursday 1st April – Friday 16th April. This event encourages friends, families, colleagues, and students all over the UK to come together and host an internationally themed tea party whilst raising vital funds for children with clefts in need of treatment. Complimentary fundraising kits are available to order at smiletrain.org.uk/bigsmileteaparty, for anyone who is eager to take part. The kits contain all the essentials you need for a successful tea party, including Smile Train posters, balloons, stickers, and a collection box.
Smile Train’s work truly is life changing. Even a small amount of money can make a huge difference, so please don’t hesitate to get involved and help spread smiles around the world.”
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