Parental Accompaniment in Operating Rooms Reduces Child Anxiety.

Background: We believe that parental presence before the induction of anesthesia for surgery among children with a cleft palate/lip would be effective in mitigating their preoperative anxiety.

Objective: We assessed the states of patients with a cleft palate/lip when their parents accompanied them into operating rooms and clarified their and their parents' cognition using a questionnaire.

Methods: Data were collected via nursing observation when patients and their parents entered the operating room.

Changes in the birth prevalence of orofacial clefts in Japan: Has the birth prevalence of orofacial clefts been affected by improved accuracy of prenatal diagnosis?

We have been conducting a survey on the birth prevalence of orofacial clefts, including cleft lip with or without cleft palate and cleft palate, in the Tokai area in central Japan every year for 37 years. Along with the yearly trends in the birth prevalence of orofacial clefts in that area for the past 37 years, we discuss whether the artificial abortion rate of fetuses with orofacial clefts has increased through the improved performance of ultrasonic imaging equipment. We also compare the yearly trends in the birth prevalence of congenital anomalies, including orofacial clefts, in Japan with those in other countries or areas where artificial abortion due to birth defects is legally permitted, and discuss the impact of improved accuracy of ultrasound imaging on the rate of artificial termination of pregnancy.