title: Current national incidence, trends, and health care resource utilization of cleft lip-cleft palate.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Available reports on the epidemiology of cleft lip, cleft palate, and cleft lip-cleft palate have been numerous yet inconsistent, and have originated only from institutional or regional studies. The need for current national data and the recognition of recent trends exists.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors examined the Kids' Inpatient Database to obtain national information on pediatric orofacial cleft discharges from 1997 to 2007. The authors examined patient and hospital characteristics to discern differences in use of care, hospital charges, type of hospital, untoward events, and other variables among various groups. A detailed investigation searching for significant trends during the 6-year study period was also conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Trends appreciated from 1997 to 2007 included (1) an increase in cleft operations performed at teaching hospitals compared with nonteaching hospitals (teaching increased 13.4 percent and nonteaching decreased 15.8 percent); (2) an increase in the mean overall charges (74.5 percent increase; p < 0.001) and a rate of rise higher than that of aggregate charges (60 percent; p < 0.001); and (3) a lower rate of perioperative complications in teaching hospitals from 2000 to 2007, ranging from 14 to 27 percent less than in nonteaching hospitals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The authors' data show that there is a current trend of cleft patients receiving treatment at teaching hospitals, with higher costs and decreasing complications. An understanding of such trends and disparities in resource use among various patient, hospital, and geographic settings is important for physicians and policy makers.
authors.affiliation: Los Angeles, Calif. From the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Basseri
authors.forename: Benjamin D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Kianmahd
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roostaeian
authors.forename: Emil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kohan
authors.forename: Kristy L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Wasson
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Basseri
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bradley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology