A Comparative Study of Quality of Life of Families with Children Born With Cleft Lip and/or Palate before and after Surgical Treatment

Abstract

Background: Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is treated in a multidisciplinary manner, incorporating both surgical and non-surgical specialties. Surgical reconstruction of OFCs is a common treatment performed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons and other surgical professionals, and it entails the repair of both the lip and the palate. Several strategies for CLP repair have been documented in the literature. When the infant is roughly 3 months old, the lip is repaired, and the major palate is repaired between the ages of 6 and 14 months. OFCs may have an impact on family functioning and, as a result, are likely to lower QoL in school-aged children and their parents. Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of life (QoL) of parents/caregivers of children with cleft lip and/or palate before and after surgical correction. Materials and Methods: Families of individuals who needed either primary or secondary orofacial cleft repair and met the inclusion criteria were invited to participate. The ‘Impact on Family Scale' (IOFS), a preoperative and postoperative health-related QoL questionnaire, was used to assess the affected family's subjectively assessed QoL before and after surgical intervention. A paired t-test was used to compare the mean pre- and postoperative total scores. The mean pre- and postoperative total scores were compared using paired t-test. Results: Before surgery, over ninety-six percent of families' quality of life was impacted. The economical and social sectors had the biggest impact preoperatively. Families with children who had bilateral cleft lips saw QoL consequences mostly in the social domain and in the domain of "impact on siblings." The mean overall QoL score after surgery was considerably lower than the mean QoL score before surgery, indicating a significant improvement in QoL (P0.001). In all domains, the mean postoperative QoL score was considerably lower than the mean preoperative QoL score. Only 3% of the families said the surgery had a negative impact on their quality of life. The domains of mastery (almost sixty-two percent) and finance (nearly forty-five thousand) had the most postoperative impact. After treatment, the proportion of families whose QoL was impaired by orofacial cleft was significantly different. Conclusion: Caring for children with orofacial clefts has a considerable negative impact on parents' and caregivers' quality of life in all dimensions. Surgical intervention, on the other hand, dramatically enhances the quality of life of these children's parents and carers.