Abstract
One of the significant aspects of academic conferences is that participants can obtain information on various diagnostic techniques, treatment procedures and implementations that can inform their own clinical practice. However, there are some participants in academic seminars who are passive listeners. During the 41st annual meeting, we decided to conduct an interactive questionnaire in a symposium using a Clicker Nano.
The topic of the symposium was “Aiming for the future of cleft palate treatment, things to know now”. The symposium also focused on unresolved problems in cleft palate treatment, local medical problems and the goal of speech therapy. The contents of the questionnaire focused on clinical profession, education, research on cleft palate treatment regardless of profession, years of clinical experience, and the number of treated cases. It also included feedback collected from the symposium on cleft palate treatment.
A total of 310 attendees participated in the symposium, of which 161 were orthodontists, 50 were plastic surgeons, 40 were oral surgeons and 59 were others （co-medical staffs, speech therapists, specialists and general dentists）. Among the participants, 24％ were highly skilled clinicians with more than 20 years of experience. There was a slightly higher percentage of participants who treated less than 30 cases （35％） and who treated more than 100 cases （38％）. The majority （68％） of the participants answered that conferences are the best place for calibrating practitioners’ potential. In regard to preoperative primary correction of deformity, 39％ used NAM, while 35％ used the Hotz plate. For palatoplasty, the most frequently used method was Furlow’s method （40％） followed by the push-back method （29％） and two-flap technique （11％）. In addition, we collected data on other questions regarding postgraduate education level and the proximity of treatment facilities.
Through this symposium, the current clinical situation, as well as problems concerning the treatment of cleft lip and palate, were clarified. In the future, the best and most progressive approach should be developed.
