title: A comparison of health-related quality of life in 5- and 10-year-old Swedish children with and without cleft lip and/or palate.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The current understanding on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young Swedish children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) is sparse, and therefore, research on impact of CL/P on HRQoL in children is needed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate HRQoL in 5- and 10-year-old Swedish children with CL/P in comparison with non-cleft controls. Also to analyse whether there were any differences in HRQoL between children with cleft lip (with or without cleft palate, CL ± P) and cleft palate only (CP) and/or gender differences.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 137 children with CL/P and 305 non-cleft controls participated. HRQoL was measured with KIDSCREEN-52.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All children in the study exhibited HRQoL within or above the age-matched reference interval of the method with similar results in both groups; however, in the dimension 'social support and peers', the 10-year-old children with CL/P perceived lower HRQoL than the non-cleft controls, but it did not reach statistical significance. Type of cleft or gender did not influence HRQoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both 5- and 10-year-old Swedish children with CL/P had HRQoL in the normal reference interval. Their general life situations were well adjusted to their clefts, but the older children with CL/P felt more excluded and less supported by peers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Dentistry, The Institute for Postgraduate Dental Education, Jönköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna Lena
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Sundell
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Skaraborg Hospital, Skövde, Sweden.|Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg's University, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Carl-Johan
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Törnhage
authors.affiliation: Maxillofacial Unit, Department of Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Agneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marcusson
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000523:psychology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden