The Need for Differential Diagnosis in Cleft Palate Treatment Planning

Copyright: © 2014 Berkowitz S. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Although the treatment of children with cleft lip/palate and other types of craniofacial anomalies in the United States has improved dramatically, many children with cleft lip and palate still receive care that is substantially inferior to what can or should be provided. Inadequate care results from diagnostic errors, failure to recognize and treat the full spectrum of health problems associated with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (CUCLP) and complete bilateral cleft lip and palate (CBCLP), unnecessary and poorly timed treatment and inappropriate or poorly performed procedures. The answer to these problems lies in not obtaining longitudinal serial records of dental casts, lateral cephs, photographs and the use of the nasopharyngoscope.