467 - Presurgical Orthopedic Appliances for Cleft Lip and Palate

Saturday, May 27, 2023

1:20 PM – 1:35 PM

Location: Exhibit Hall

Has Audio

Presenting Author(s)

Colton L. Fowlkes, DMD (he/him/his)

Pediatric Dental Resident
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Co-Author(s)

AA

Akilah Artis, DDS (she/her/hers)

Pediatric Dentistry Resident
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Jay Shirley, DMD, MS, MSc

Director, Oral Health Research and Advocacy
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta / Emory University School of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
JT

Jack Thomas, Jr., DDS

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
KU

Karen Uston, DDS, MS

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Research Mentor(s)

Jay Shirley, DMD, MS, MSc

Director, Oral Health Research and Advocacy
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta / Emory University School of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Program Director(s)

BW

Brittany Waters, DMD

Program Director
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia, United States

A presurgical orthopedic appliance may be used for infants with cleft lip and palate before primary lip repair. These appliances can provide molding of the cleft alveolus and/or nasal cartilage to help improve the surgical esthetic outcome of the lip and the nose. Various techniques have been used over the past 25 years, with the most common types of appliances for cleft lip and palate being the removable Nasoalveolar Molding (NAM) appliance and the fixed Latham Dentomaxillary Advancement (DMA) or Elastic Chain Premaxillary Repositioning (ECPR) appliance. From 2009 to the present, Children’s Center for Cleft and Craniofacial Disorders has treated 498 patients with presurgical appliances. The NAM appliance was the most common, with 411 removable appliances (NAM) compared to 87 fixed Latham appliances (DMA/ECPR.) We will present case examples showing the use of presurgical orthopedic appliances and will provide an overview of indications, techniques, and limitations of these appliances.