Feeding Conditions of Infants with Cleft Lip and/or Palate until Start of Weaning Food

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the feeding condition and the start of weaning food for cleft lip and/or palate patients.
Participants: Fifty-eight cleft lip and/or babies (31 cleft lip babies and 27 cleft lip and palate babies) who were examined by a pediatric dentist at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, first registered at Keio University Hospital from September 2007 to December 2008.
Results:
1. 88.8% cleft lip and palate patients used the nipples developed for infants with suckling disorders. Only one cleft lip and palate patient was able to do direct breast feeding.
2. The suckling condition of cleft lip and/or alveolar bone patients was considered relatively good because all of them could do direct breast feeding and/or feeding with an ordinary nipple before/after the first surgical correction.
3. The feeding condition after the first surgical correction was good and all patients were able to start the weaning food without any problems.