Awareness of Parents on the Nature of Cleft Lip and Palate (CLP): an Exploratory Study

Abstract

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is a congenital anomaly which requires a multidimensional medical care by multidisciplinary team of professionals. Extensive information and appropriate knowledge is required for the parents of Child with CLP. This study is an endeavor to assess the parental awareness of the condition of cleft lip and palate. The present study is aimed to assess the parental awareness on nature of CLP on various aspects such as cause, associated problems, assessment and treatment of CLP. 30 parents of children with CLP who visited the unit of structural orofacial anomalies (USOFA), All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysore served as participants of the study. A Questionnaire was developed with five subdivisions on seven domains which consisted of five myths and five facts. The participants were asked to mark YES or NO for correct or incorrect statements respectively. On exploring the responses, the results revealed that the parents having a child with CLP believe more in the myths about the causes rather than facts and the awareness on treatment schedule and the role of team members are limited. The results also indicate better awareness on the associated problems and also showed a greater need to sensitize the parents on assessment and treatment of CLP. The results obtained could be attributed to the facts that the medical guidance provided for the parents having child with CLP was limited or in spite of having the child with CLP, the efforts taken to understand the condition is not adequate. The results of the present study warrant developing more systematic programs towards creating awareness on CLP among parents and various health care professionals.