Provision of general dental care for children with cleft lip and palate--parental attitudes and experiences.

Objective: To evaluate the attitudes of parents of 4-8 year-old children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) towards the provision of paediatric dental care and to assess their experience of treatment within the General Dental Services.

Design: Postal questionnaire distributed to all parents of 4-8 year-old children on the Birmingham CLP database.

Results: The response rate was 77%. Ninety-nine (91%) children were registered with a dentist. Seventy-five (69%) had previously received preventive advice and 32 (29%) had experienced restorative intervention. The majority of parents (64%) expressed a wish for a dental check-up to be provided at the designated Cleft Centre, with 42 (39%) requesting preventive advice. Fifty-eight (67%) of the parents who requested a dental check-up were agreeable for treatment to be provided in the primary sector.

Conclusion: The survey indicates there is parental support for paediatric dental assessment at cleft clinics with subsequent arrangement of treatment in the primary sector. The inclusion of paediatric dental support within the multidisciplinary cleft team should be considered as Regional Cleft Centres are established