Evaluation of growth status of children with non-syndromic oral clefts.

Abstract

To assess the growth status of children with non-syndromic oral clefts (NSOC) and explore potential influencing factors. The data of NSOC children aged ≤5 years hospitalized between December 2018 and June 2020 were retrieved and evaluated, including their height, weight, NSOC subtypes and demographic characteristics before reparative surgeries. The growth status of the children was assessed using height-for-age Z-score (HAZ), weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ) and weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ). In total, 504 NSOC children (271 females & 233 males) were included. The proportion of stunting (HAZ <-2), underweight (WAZ <-2) and wasting (WHZ <-2) was 4.96%, 5.16% and 3.97%, respectively. In addition, we observed that HAZ and WAZ decreased with increasing age (both p < 0.01). Moreover, non-syndromic cleft palate only (NSCP) and non-syndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCLP) were associated with lower HAZ and WAZ compared with non-syndromic cleft lip only (NSCL) (all p < 0.01), while NSCLP was associated with a lower WHZ compared with NSCL (p < 0.01). The growth retardation and low weight rate of NSOC children under 5 years old were higher than the national average level and differed by the age of NSOC children and disease subtypes. Further improvements are warranted to promote the growth status of the NSOC-affected children.