Give HK Cleft Lip and Palate Families a Smile

Sharing Session on ‘Getting your CLP Children Prepared for School Life

CLP children may have some facial difference, speech problem and even hearing loss.  Besides, they may need to take leave of absence from school for attending medical appointments from time to time.  Thus, to help the children fit in school life, the parents should get well prepared beforehand. 

The sharing session hosted by two experienced kindergarten teachers who were also parents of CLP patients.  The activity aimed to remind the parents of younger CLP children the importance of communications with the teachers and parents of other students.  It suggested ways to strengthen the children's adaptability, self-care ability, self-confidence, communication and social skills…

 Moreover, it suggested the considerations for parents to choose the kindergarten that suited their children; and providing details about school interviews, general questions and assignments to be asked and requested for the children during the interviews.

Sharing Session of Microtia Surgery

Patients with microtia have their external part of one or both ears underdeveloped and usually malformed, along with hearing loss.  Besides, some patients may also have other craniofacial syndromes.  The Sharing Session mainly focused on reconstructive surgery of the ear canal - rib cartilage graft surgery.  An adult patient who had had reconstructive surgery at a local public hospital, as well as a parent of a 9-year-old girl who had had the surgery at Chang Gung Hospital, Taiwan, shared their treatment experiences with the younger patients and their parents. 

The topics of their sharing covered: selection of treatment services, preparation for surgery, post-surgery caretaking and follow up treatment.  The activity aimed to help the younger patients and their parents know more about the reconstructive surgery and got well prepared for it.

Early Orthodontic Treatment Pioneer Project

Cleft lip and palate patients suffer a lot from underdeveloped upper jaw, depressed mid face,“V-shaped” alveolus, underbite,ectopic eruption of frontal teeth...  All these problems may cause difficulties in eating and speech, and may even bring abnormal appearance to the patient, affecting his self-image, school and social life. 

Through this Project, we hope to help CLP children between the ages of 7 to 12 to expend the upper jawbone so as to give enough space for eruption of the six permanent frontal teeth, and at the same time correct the misplaced or irregularly aligned teeth.  It is expected that for patients with mild cleft lip and palate, upon completion of this early orthodontic treatmen,t may help to give them normal occulsion so that they may not need orthognathic surgery upon puberty.  For patients with severe CLP condition, the early orthodontic treatment may help to reduce the degree of "malocclusion", and thus alleviate the complexity of their jaw surgery.

Thanks to four kind-hearted private orthodontists who are willing to offer orthodontic treatment to the needy CLP children at an extra low fee, and Chai Wan Baptist Church Dental Clinic that offers a surgical room for the treatment, the project has become possible and will start to provide treatment to CLP children in Early January 2019 for a period of two years.