Caries in patients with cleft lip and palate, and their dental rehabilitation. Presentation of a clinical case

Abstract

During the first three months of pregnancy, the parts of the palate and upper lip normally meet. When this union does not occur, the baby will present cleft lip and / or cleft palate. This type of malformation occurs in 1 in every 700 births. The presence of a cleft lip and cleft palate can cause various dental problems such as changes in shape, number, size, dental malposition, as well as developmental defects of enamel. Poor oral hygiene of children with cleft lip and cleft palate may contribute to the high prevalence of dental caries in these patients. We performed comprehensive dental rehabilitation of a female patient of 5 years 4 months old, diagnosed with cleft lip and cleft palate, which initially presented dental malposition, poor hygiene, and irregular shape of the arches and involvement of adjacent teeth to the slit. Strategies have been developed to prevent early childhood tooth decay, which should be considered for inclusion in the protocol of patients with cleft lip and cleft palate. We conclude that an early dental management of such patients, a periodic monitoring of bacterial plaque and instructing parents to good oral hygiene of the patients, reduce caries risk factors in this type of patients, thus favoring treatment operative success.