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The cleft palate develops in the womb in the early stages of development. At the same time, the baby has a cleft in the sky, which is why there is a direct communication between the mouth and nose. In medicine, such a defect is called cheiloschisis.
Often the cleft palate goes along with another defect – the cleft lip. The cause and mechanism of their occurrence is the same. A cleft of the bony structures of the palate can lead to splitting of soft tissues, including the lips and nose. If this happens, then the child has both pathologies – the cleft palate and the cleft lip.
While a cleft lip may be more of a cosmetic defect and interfere with speech, a cleft palate is much more serious. A cleft palate may go unnoticed if the soft tissues are not affected. Parents pay attention to the problem when the baby cannot suck normally, chokes, milk comes out of the nose. In maternity hospitals, babies are examined to exclude this ailment, but in the case of a home birth, it can be skipped.
The cleft palate is one of the ten most common congenital pathologies in children. Girls are more likely to have cleft palate without affecting the lip, and boys are more likely to have cleft lip without palate pathology.
What is wolf mouth
Initially, in the womb, the fetus does not have fused skull bones in the form in which it is customary to see in the end. This is part of development. By the 11th week of pregnancy, all the necessary parts of the bones of the skull and face of the embryo are normally fused. If in the early stages the fetus was adversely affected, some crevices do not overgrow, in this case the sky.
Such children cannot eat normally – the sucking process is disturbed, food enters the nasal cavity, causing inflammation. In the future, speech is also impaired, the pronunciation of sounds is difficult, the children “gundos”. Intellectually and emotionally, children with a cleft palate are absolutely normal, the problem is purely anatomical.
A wolf’s mouth may not be the only defect. Sometimes it occurs as part of various syndromes.
Causes of the cleft palate in a child
According to scientists, only 10-15% of the defect is genetically determined. That is, even if one of the relatives had a wolf’s mouth, the probability of the appearance of the same in a child increases by only 7%.
The main causes of pathology are the influence of external factors precisely in the early stages of pregnancy. Often during this period, a woman does not know that she is carrying a child, and continues to take drugs prohibited during pregnancy, smoke or drink alcohol. This adversely affects the development of the fetus, the process of bone fusion is disrupted.
At the beginning of pregnancy, many women have reduced immunity, and infections picked up at this moment are dangerous for the fetus.
No less dangerous are abdominal injuries, radiation, lack of vitamins, early abortions, tumors and obesity. Even the age of the mother and her mental state can affect the likelihood of having a child with a cleft palate.
Symptoms of the cleft palate in a child
The larger the cleft in the sky, the more noticeable the presence of pathology. With an incomplete cleft, the child chokes when sucking, eats poorly, milk can flow from the nose. If the cleft is through, complete, the baby has difficulty breathing, in principle he cannot suckle. Often, during natural childbirth, amniotic fluid enters the respiratory tract of such children, so they need emergency help.
When examining the oral cavity and pharynx, a hole is noticeable in the place where the whole soft palate is normally located. If the splitting also affected the lip, then the division of the upper lip into two or more halves is outwardly noticeable.
Treatment of the cleft palate in a child
The wolf’s mouth is dangerous with serious complications, so it must be treated. Unfortunately, the only solution to the problem is surgery. Treatment consists of several stages, and the first operation can be performed up to a year.
Many children with a cleft palate wear an obturator before surgery, a prosthesis that closes the opening between the nasal and oral cavities. This helps the baby breathe normally, facilitates the process of nutrition and the formation of speech.
Even before surgery, the child is taught to feed with a special spoon, since sucking is difficult without additional devices. The skill of such a special diet will also come in handy after the operation, since the wound is quite painful and nutrition is impossible. In addition, there is a risk of large scars, and the healing itself will slow down.
After a series of operations, you need to carefully care for the oral cavity, treat wounds with antiseptics, and take antibiotics. A special massage of the soft palate is also used, which improves blood circulation and dissolves scars. During the recovery period, you will need the help of a speech therapist, defectologist to establish normal speech. And the orthodontist will control the correct growth of teeth and jaw development. If something goes wrong, they will write out corrective plates, staples.
Treatment is complex and lengthy, but as a result, almost 95% of children with a cleft palate will forever forget about the problem.
Diagnostics
Often suggest a defect during pregnancy, during ultrasound. But it is possible to assess the degree of splitting of the sky only after the birth of the baby. During childbirth, there is a danger of amniotic fluid entering the respiratory tract through the cleft, so it is better for doctors to know about the pathology in advance.
After the birth of the child, doctors examine, and the cleft is visible to the naked eye. In addition, they check hearing, smell, take blood tests to rule out infections.
Modern treatments
Before surgery, the baby is carefully examined and plans how exactly they will solve the problem. There are various methods, and they are selected individually for each little patient. During planning, they additionally consult a pediatrician, otolaryngologist, neurologist, maxillofacial surgeon, speech therapist, orthodontist.
Surgical repair of an incomplete cleft palate is called uranoplasty. It is carried out at about the age of 2 years. This technique will help if the shape of the jaw is not distorted, and the cleft is not too large. During the operation, the soft palate is lengthened for the baby, the muscles are connected. If there are not enough local tissues, additional ones are used from the cheeks and tongue.
If the jaw is narrowed and the teeth are not positioned correctly, the child is first treated by an orthodontist. The operation will be much later, otherwise the development of the jaw may be impaired. Usually uranoplasty in this case is carried out at 4-6 years.
Prevention of the cleft palate in a child at home
It is advisable to plan a pregnancy. Then the woman will expect it and at the most important early stages she will avoid accidentally taking toxic medications, smoking, alcohol. This often happens if the woman is not yet aware of the pregnancy.
It is important to take vitamins prescribed by a gynecologist, to be examined regularly. Avoid crowds and dress warmly, because in the first weeks the mother’s immunity is very vulnerable.
Popular questions and answers
The pediatrician – the chief pediatrician – is working on solving the problem of the cleft palate along with surgeons, orthodontists and other specialists. The pediatrician makes sure that the child eats normally, helps reduce the risk of infections, and gives advice on caring for the baby. Read more about the treatment of children with cleft palate will tell pediatrician Daria Schukina.
What are the possible complications of cleft palate?
When to call a doctor at home with a wolf’s mouth?
It is impossible to influence this when the fetus has already formed. Most often, pathology is detected already at the birth of a child. However, a pronounced defect can be seen on ultrasound. Fetoscopy and fetoamniotomy may also help. However, the diagnostic efficiency during pregnancy fluctuates around 30%.