Digitalising comprehensive cleft care

Digitalisation of comprehensive cleft care is changing the way care is delivered and improving accessibility for rural communities

Unfortunately, many of the 200,000 babies born with cleft lip and/or palate (clefts) each year lack access to many of the critical components of care. Comprehensive Cleft Care can require a range of care, including nutrition support, surgery, speech therapy, orthodontics, dental care, and psychosocial support. Treatments such as the development of multiple prosthetic appliances can be extensive and tiring involving multiple impressions to be taken can be distressing for the patient and challenging for the clinician and must be repeated approximately every 2.5 months to follow the maxillary growth. Finally, the finished plates are associated with financial costs, due medical and additional laboratory work costs, not to mention the environmental impact of waste materials.

Digitalisation of comprehensive cleft care is changing this process.

Learning objectives:

• Participants will understand the opportunities in digital technology and how workflows can be applied clinically
• Participants will understand how digital technology can improve outcomes for patients with cleft
• Participants will be introduced to the management of alveolar ridge loss
• Participants will explore opportunities with digital education and patient engagement