title: An Evaluation of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in a group of 4-7 year-old children with cleft lip and palate.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is the most common congenital craniofacial abnormality. The interventions' intensity and psychosocial burden of the cleft may have a lasting impact on the child. The aim of this study was to assess the psychosocial functioning of 4 to 7-year-old children with non-syndromic CLP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) was assessed using the revised German KINDL HRQoL questionnaire, a five-point, 24-Likert-item questionnaire covering six domains (physical well-being, emotional well-being, self-esteem, family life, friends and school). The total score is the sum of all item scores. In addition, a chronic generic module consisting of six items, and a specific parent module consisting of 22 items have been added to the core KINDL questionnaire. Higher scores indicate better HRQoL. All the parents of 4 to 7-year-old children with non-syndromic CLP treated at the interdisciplinary CLP center at Cologne University Hospital were invited to participate in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 74 families were contacted, 61 of whom agreed to study participation (82% response). The 61 children (32 boys and 29 girls) had a mean age of 5.39 years. The mean values for the total scale were slightly lower for children with CLP, but when compared, CLP and non-CLP children revealed no statistically significant difference in HRQoL levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that 4 to 7-year-old children with CLP do not appear to experience major psychosocial problems when compared with their non-CLP peers.
authors: Department of Orthodontics, Cologne University Hospital, Cologne, Germany. darius.sagheri@uk-koeln.de
authors: Darius
authors: D
authors: Sagheri
authors: Ulrike
authors: U
authors: Ravens-Sieberer
authors: Bert
authors: B
authors: Braumann
authors: Sylvia
authors: S
authors: von Mackensen
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires