Perception and Attitude of Parents of Children With Orofacial Clefts Regarding the Use of Presurgical Orthopedics and Feeding Obturators

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the parents’ attitude and their perception regarding the management of orofacial cleft (OFC) children with presurgical nasoalveolar molding (PNAM), DynaCleft and/or feeding obturators. Material and methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive and observational retrospective survey-based study was conducted among parents of OFC children treated with PNAM, DynaCleft and/or feeding obturators who attended a primary dental health care center in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia, from 2019 to 2023. A validated questionnaire was used after translating it from English to Arabic. The questionnaire consisted of 32 questions divided into two sections. The first section covers parents' sociodemographic data and OFC risk factors. The second section evaluates the parents’ perception regarding the use of presurgical orthopedics (PSO) for OFC repair. The questionnaire was completed through telephone interviews carried out by two investigators with the parents of OFC children. Results: Out of 142 parents of OFC children, only 40 parents and their children met the inclusion criteria of the study. Most parents (95%) reported their satisfaction with the treatment and stated that they would encourage other parents of OFC children to use PSO. Conclusion: This study concluded that parents of OFC children had a positive attitude toward PSO treatment. Based on the positive outcomes of PSO treatment reported in the current study and previous literature, PSO should be considered as a routine treatment in the early management of orofacial clefts.