Cleft Palate Clinical Lecture Questions

What is the purpose of tape used during early cleft palate treatment with obturators?

Apply light pressure to pull the cleft palate together and bring the premaxilla posterior into proper alignment

What is the most common malocclusion to occur from cleft palate?

Class III

At what age is the surgeon expected to close the soft palate in the cleft treatment timetable?

1 year

Who is most likely to be born with a cleft lip, and on which side of the face is it most common?

Boys on the left side of the face

What is the primary purpose of using a feeding obturator in infants with cleft lip and palate?

To close the cleft temporarily, aiding in feeding and preventing milk from entering the nasal cavity

Lack of fusion of which two structures lead to the formation of a cleft palate?

Maxillary prominence and medial nasal prominence

What type of cleft is characterized by a complete cleft that extends the hard and soft palate with a bilateral cleft lip?

Type IV

Why is naso-alveolar molding considered an essential early step in the treatment of cleft palate, particularly for infants?

Immature cartilage in infants is highly malleable, which makes naso-alveolar molding effective in shaping the nasal and alveolar areas early on

Which of the following is NOT a way that the feeding obturator helps an infant with a cleft palate?

Feeding obturator helps guide teeth growth into proper position

In the treatment of cleft lip and palate, why is a tooth-supported appliance typically introduced after the initial use of a pin-retained prosthesis?

Dental pins are not securely anchored in bone, and time is needed for fibrous tissue to mature into bone