Hotz et al. reported that with the use of Hotz-type orthopedic plate (Hotz-type plate) in infants with cleft lip and palate starting immediately after birth, it is possible to improve the difficulty in sucking milk and to promote satisfactory growth of the palate. We have recently investigated the effectiveness of Hotz-type plate by sending questionnaire to the families of our patients.
Subjects were 52 infants with cleft and palate with difficulty in sucking milk or possible developement of such difficulty, who were selected from among patients who had treatment in our section between September 1985 and October 1991. The questionnaire was sent by mail. Of tha 26 persons (81.3%) who replied that the volume of sucked milk changed as a result of using Hotz-type plate, 21 (80.8%) said that the daily sucked volume “increased”. Five persons (19.2%) replied that they “did not know”. There were no cases of “decreased sucked volume”. As regards the length of sucking time, one person (3.8%) replied that the time “lengthened”, while 21 (80.8%) said it “shortened”. Four persons (15.4%) said they “did not know”.
In our section, the treatment with the use of Hotz-type plate was started soon after birth. As a result, the difficulty in sucking milk was improved, thereby promoting the proper growth of the infants and at the same time, allaying the anxiety of the patients' families. Thus, it made it possible to select the most appropriate time for operation. Such treatment was also useful in building up mutual trust between doctors and patients' families.
