Informed consent for bone grafting of alveolar cleft region in cleft lip and palate patients

-Survey by questionnaire-

Abstract

Bone grafting of the alveolar cleft region has been widely performed on cleft lip and palate patients at many medical facilities including our own. There are various reports which place emphasis on the objective findings of grafted alveolar clefts. However, subjective comments of the patients regarding the operation and selection of graft material is uncertain. Thus the patient's comment on the operation and the types of graft materials to be used was investigated.
Questionnaires were sent to the 29 patients who underwent this operation at our clinic and 24 replied. The results were as follows.
1) 0 % had knowledge about bone grafting of the alveolar cleft region before it was explained to them.
2) The pat ients' decisions regarding the operation were consulted with father in 67 %, mother in 79 %, and orthodontist in 38 % of the cases, and 4 % did not consult anyone regarding this matter.
3) 96 % were satisfied with the graft material and the choice of operation method.
4) 87 % appreciated the informed consent obtained by the doctors but 9 % d id not.
The decision concerning the surgical method and the graft material to be used are agreed upon by the patient, parents, and the doctor. Careful explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of different surgical methods and graft materials is mandatory in the decision making. This survey suggested that it is critical to inform the patient about the graft materials and the surgical methods and ample time should be given for them to make a decision.