Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of Children with Repaired Cleft Lip and Palate in Bhopal: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: In our community, the additional care needs and effect of repaired cleft lip and palate (CLP) on children's everyday lives remain uncertain, as many of them are lost to follow-up after surgery. Aim:To determine the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children who have had their CLP repaired and to recognize the key problems that need additional attention. Methodology: We conducted a crosssectional research of 27 children (mean age: 7.74 ± 0.7 years) who had CLP and 30 healthy controls (mean age: 8.03 ± 0.7 years) from different hospitals of Bhopal district. The child oral health effect profile, a reliable and accurate questionnaire developed for use with children and adolescents, was used to evaluate self and proxy-rated OHRQoL. Results:For functional well-being (22.1 ± 1.2 vs. 27.9 ± 0.74; P= 0.001), emotional well-being (32.3 ± 1.4 vs. 37.3 ± 0.6; P = 0.002), and self-esteem (24.4 ± 0.9 vs. 29.2 ± 0.4; P= 0.001), patients had lower quality of life ratings than controls. The key depreciative determinants of the OHRQoL were redo surgeries (n= 10) and a visible facial difference (n= 17), particularly for emotional well-being (30.2 ± 1.7 vs. 35.2 ± 1.4; P = 0.003 and 29.6 ± 1.8 vs. 36.8 ± 1.3; respectively). Conclusion: The OHRQoL of children with repaired CLP is lower than that of their stable peers. The key demands for additional treatment aimed at improving their quality of life are psychosocial care, orthodontics, and speech therapy.