Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2010 Jan;16(1):3-10.
doi: 10.1111/j.1601-0825.2009.01588.x. Epub 2009 Jul 27.

The impact of orofacial clefts on quality of life and healthcare use and costs

G L Wehby  1 , C H Cassell
Affiliations
Review

The impact of orofacial clefts on quality of life and healthcare use and costs

G L Wehby et al. Oral Dis. 2010 Jan.

Abstract

Orofacial clefts are common birth defects that may impose a large burden on the health, quality of life, and socioeconomic well-being of affected individuals and families. They also result in significant healthcare use and costs. Understanding the impact of orofacial clefts on these outcomes is important for identifying unmet needs and developing public policies to reduce the burden of orofacial clefts at the individual, family and societal levels. This paper reviews and summarizes the main findings of recent studies that have evaluated the impact of orofacial clefts on these outcomes, with a focus on quality of life, socioeconomic outcomes, long-term health, and healthcare use and costs. Several studies identify an increased burden of orofacial clefts on these outcomes, but some of the findings are inconsistent. A summary of the primary limitations of the studies in this area is presented, along with recommendations and directions for future research.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) Parameters for evaluation and treatment of patients with cleft lip/palate or other craniofacial anomalies. Cleft Palate Craniofac J. 1993;30 (Suppl):S1–16. - PubMed
    1. Berk NW, Cooper ME, Liu YE, Marazita ML. Social anxiety in Chinese adults with oral-facial clefts. Cleft Palate Craniofac J. 2001 Mar;38(2):126–33. - PubMed
    1. Berk NW, Marazita ML. Costs of cleft lip and palate: personal and societal implications. In: Wyszynski DF, editor. Cleft lip and palate: from origin to treatment. New York: Oxford University Press; 2002. pp. 458–467.
    1. Bille C, Winther JF, Bautz A, Murray JC, Olsen J, Christensen K. Cancer risk in persons with oral cleft--a population-based study of 8,093 cases. Am J Epidemiol. 2005 Jun 1;161(11):1047–55. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Boulet SL, Grosse SD, Honein MA, Correa-Villasenor A. Children with orofacial clefts: health care use and costs among a privately insured population. Public Health Rep. 2009;124:447–453. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types