The Impact of Cleft Lip/Palate and Surgical Intervention on Adolescent Life Outcomes.

Background: Cleft lip/palate (CLP) is a congenital orofacial anomaly appearing in approximately one in 700 births worldwide. While in high-income countries CLP is normally addressed surgically during infancy, in developing countries CLP is often left unoperated, potentially impacting multiple dimensions of life quality. Previous research has frequently compared CLP outcomes to those of the general population.