Functional-aesthetic camouflage of the dentition in bilateral total cleft – considering ethical and socio-social aspects
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20883/Keywords:
facial aesthetic improvement, aesthetic camouflage with thermoformable plate, adult patient, cleft lip and palate, temporary treatmentAbstract
Cleft lip and palate is the most common developmental defect of the craniofacial region, leading to significant functional and aesthetic disorders of the bite and face. Despite interdisciplinary treatment from the first days of life, some patients do not have their treatment completed by the time they reach adulthood, remaining with abnormalities in facial morphology, function and aesthetics.
The purpose of this study is to present the case of an adult patient with bilateral total cleft palate with unfinished treatment in whom a temporary aesthetic-functional camouflage was applied in the form of a custom-fitted thermoformable plate with embedded incisal veneers on the lateral incisal teeth. The temporary solution used enabled stabilization of the incisal segment, improved articulation, food consumption and smile aesthetics. A significant increase in the patient's psychological comfort and motivation to continue treatment was observed.
Downloads
References
1. Stoll Ch, Opitz Ch, Bauer S, Petzold D. The soft – tissue facial profile of patients with unilateral clefts of the lip, aveolous, and palate compared with healthy adults. J Orofac Orthop/Fortsch Kieferorthop. 2002;63:179-189.
2. Matthews-Brzozowska T, Zalesska-Kręcicka M, Morawska-Kochman M. Leczenie foniatryczno-logopedyczne. W: Rozszczepy wargi i podniebienia. red. Matthews-Brzozowska T, Akademia Medyczna im. Piastów Śląskich we Wrocławiu. 2007;91-97.
3. Cheung LK, Chua DH, Hagg MB. Cleft maxillary distraction versus orthognatic surgery: clinical mordibilities and surgical relaps. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2006;118:996-1008.
4. Cudziło D, Matthews-Brzozowska T. Long-term follow-up afterdistraction osteogenesis with face mask in cleft lip and palate patients – preliminary report. Dev Period Med. 2014;18(1):59-65.
5. Sharp H.M., Dalley S., Moon J. B.: Speech and language development disorders in infants and children with cleft lip and palate. Pediatric Annals., 2003, 32, 7, 476 – 480.16.
6. Berkowitz S. Ethical issues in the case of surgical repair of cleft palate. Cleft Palate Craniofac J. 1995;32(4):271-276 discussion 277-281 doi:10.1597/1545-1569_1995_032_0271_eiitco_2.3.co_2.
7. Ng IK. Informed consent in clinical practice: Old problems, new challenges. J R Coll Physicians Edinb. 2024 Jun;54(2):153-158. doi: 10.1177/14782715241247087.
8. Shah P, Thornton I, Kopitnik NL, Hipskind JE. Informed Consent. 2024 Nov 24. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
9. Aleksieva A, Begnoni G, Verdonck A, Laenen A, Willems G, Cadenas de Llano-Pérula M. Self-Esteem and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life within a Cleft Lip and/or Palate Population: A Prospective Cohort Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021;18:6078
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18116078
10. Aleksieva R, Popova C, Daskalov H. The importance of OHRQoL in cleft lip and palate patients: A review. Journal of Stomatology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 2021;(1):58-62.
11. Molsted K, Brattström V, Prahl-Andersen B, Shaw WC, Semb G. The Eurocleft Study: Intercenter study of treatment outcome in patients with complete cleft lip and palate. Part 3. Dental Arch Relationships. Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal. 2005; 42(1):78-82.
12. Kobus K, Kobus-Zaleśna K. Timing of cleft lip and palate repair. Dev Period Med. 2014;18(1):79-83.
13. Komisarek O, Bartkowska P, Matthews-Brzozowski A. Cleft lip scar correction methods. Journal of Face Aesthetics, 2019, 2(2),123-133.
14. Deswita Y, Soegiharto BM, Tarman KE. Camouflage treatment of skeletal Class III malocclusion in an adult cleft-palate patient using passive self-ligating system. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2019 Jan;155(1):117-126.
15. Cheng L, Xia K, Sun W, Yu L, Zhao Z, Liu J. Orthodontic camouflage treatment for a patient with bilateral cleft lip and palate, bilateral crossbite, and microdontic maxillary lateral incisors. Eur J Med Res. 2024; 13, 29(1):119. doi: 10.1186/s40001-023-01589-PMID: 38347657; PMCID: PMC10863274
16. Glaeser A, Bruun TS, Pedersen TK. Psychosocial functioning in adults with cleft lip and palate: A narrative review. Clinical Oral Investigations. 2023;27(2): 683-692.
17. Glaeser A, Selaimen da Cost S, Collares MV. Cleft lip and palate: Evaluation of the psychological impact using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Plástica. 2023;3:187-195
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 The copyright to the submitted manuscript is held by the Author, who grants the Journal of Face Aesthetics (JoFA) a nonexclusive licence to use, reproduce, and distribute the work, including for commercial purposes.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
