Language skills of young children with unilateral cleft lip and palate following infant orthopedics: a randomized clinical trial.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of infant orthopedics (IO) on the language skills of children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP).


METHODS
In a prospective randomized clinical trial (Dutchcleft), two groups of children with complete UCLP were followed up longitudinally: one group was treated with IO based on a modified Zurich approach in the first year of life (IO group); the other group did not receive this treatment (non-IO group). At the ages of 2, 2(1/2), 3, and 6 years, language development was evaluated in 12 children (six IO and six non-IO). Receptive language skills were assessed using the Reynell test. Expressive language skills of the toddlers were evaluated by calculating mean length of utterance (MLU) and mean length of longest utterances (MLLU); in the 6-year-olds, the expressive language skills were measured using standardized Dutch language tests.


METHODS
The participants had complete UCLP without soft tissue bands or other malformations.


RESULTS
IO did not affect the receptive language skills. However, the expressive language measures MLU and MLLU were influenced by IO. At age 2(1/2) and 3 years, the IO group produced longer utterances than the non-IO group. In the follow-up, the difference in expressive language between the two groups was no longer significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Children treated with IO during their first year of life produced longer sentences than non-IO children at the ages of 2(1/2) and 3 years. At 6 years of age, both groups presented similar expressive language skills. Hence, IO treatment did not have long-lasting effects on language development.
Konst
Emmy M
EM
Department of Orthodontics and Oral Biology, University Medical Center Sint Radboud, University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands. e.konst@dent.umcn.nl
Rietveld
Toni
T
Peters
Herman F M
HF
Kuijpers-Jagtman
Anne Marie
AM
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D009973:Orthodontics, Preventive; D010158:Palatal Obturators; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013068:Speech Production Measurement