Facial morphology in UCLP patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Long-term outcome in UCLP patients: assessment of facial morphology and temporal changes in outcomes
IRAS ID
125729
Contact name
Alexandra Freeman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
South West Cleft Unit
Research summary
The optimum treatment of patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) is yet to be identified and the topic remains debated. For this reason, it is imperative to the care of these patients that the outcomes are monitored closely in order to identify areas for improvement. Commonly used measureable outcomes include: facial symmetry, subjective assessment of aesthetics, scar quality and size of cleft. It is the final outcome measure, which will form the basis of this study. Size of cleft will be assessed using the GOSLON yard-stick tool; a validated method of rating facial morphology from routinely collected dental arch models.
Whilst many studies were identified which examine the aforementioned outcome measures at a single point in time, very limited research has considered the long-term outcome in UCLP patients, particularly when considering temporal differences in results. This retrospective study will consider changes in facial morphology from birth to 5 years in a sample of UCLP patients under the care of a single cleft surgeon. It will then assess for any differences in results over a 10 year period, looking for changes in morphology over this time.
REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/1032
Date of REC Opinion
3 Jul 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion