Syndromes/Craniofacial Anomalies
Tamarra Kalamchi, DMD, MPH
Pediatric Resident
Texas A&M University - Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, Texas
Texas A & M School of Dentistry
Paradise Valley, Arizona, United States
Carolyn Kerins, DDS, PhD
Associate Professor & Grad Program Director
Texas A&M School of Dentistry
Dallas, Texas, United States
Yong Jong Park, DDS
Children's Health Dallas
Dallas, Texas, United States
Access to Early and Comprehensive Orthodontic Care for Children that are Born with Orofacial Clefts
Kalamchi, Kerins CA, Park YJ (Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, Children’s Medical Center, Dallas, TX)
Purpose: Was to determine what level of cleft care orthodontists in the U.S. will provide to orofacial cleft patients.
Methods: An 11-question survey was emailed to 2054 practicing orthodontists by the American Academy of Orthodontists Partners in Research. Two email blasts were sent. The survey included demographic information, including insurances accepted, practice location and questions regarding cleft care and referrals.
Results: Data analysis revealed that the majority of residency programs had some type of craniofacial experience (49 of 73 responses). However, only 54% of individuals mentioned that their program had an official craniofacial rotation (40 of 73 responses). The experiences ranged between 1 week rotation to treating several patients in clinic. Those in hospital-based orthodontic residency programs tended to treat more craniofacial patients and be more involved with the craniofacial team.
Conclusions: There are multiple opportunities for post-graduate training that AAO should consider. There is a lack of care access for craniofacial orthodontics for individuals on Medicaid.