Academic Achievement in Individuals with Cleft: A Population-Based Register Study

2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Persson ◽  
Magnus Becker ◽  
Henry Svensson

Objective The focus of this study was to determine whether there were any significant differences in academic achievement between students with a cleft and the general population of Swedish students at the typical time of graduation from compulsory school (usually 16 years of age). Design A retrospective population-based study. Data were obtained from the Swedish Medical Birth Register for the years 1973 through 1986 and were linked to the Swedish School–Grade Register. Participants A total of 511 individuals with cleft palate (CP), 651 individuals with cleft lip (CL), and 830 individuals with cleft lip and palate (CLP) were compared with a control group consisting of 1,249,404 individuals. Main Outcome Measures (1) Not receiving school leaving certificate; (2) odds of receiving lowest grade and reduced odds of receiving a high grade in the following subjects: (a) Mathematics, (b) English, (c) Swedish, (d) Physical Education, and (e) grade point average (GPA). Results The group with cleft had higher odds of not receiving leaving certificates in comparison with the general population. They also had higher odds of receiving the lowest grade and/or reduced odds of receiving a high grade in the subjects analyzed together, with strong evidence of lower GPA in comparison with the general population. Individuals with CP were affected the most, followed by individuals with CLP; least affected were individuals with CL. Conclusion This study clearly indicates that adolescents with cleft lip and/or palate in Sweden experience significant deficits in their educational achievements in compulsory school.

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Persson ◽  
Magnus Becker ◽  
Amy L. Conrad ◽  
Henry Svensson

Objective: The focus of this study was to determine if there is any significant difference in academic achievement for girls and boys with a cleft compared to the general population of Swedish students at graduation from compulsory school. Design: A retrospective population-based study using data obtained from the Swedish Medical Birth Register that was linked to the Swedish School–Grade Register. Participants: Two hundred seventy girls and 241 boys with cleft palate (CP), 222 girls and 429 boys with cleft lip (CL), and 299 girls and 531 boys with cleft lip and palate (CLP) were compared with the compulsory school population comprising 609,397 girls and 640,007 boys. Main Outcome Measures: (1) Odds of receiving the lowest grade and reduced odds in receiving high grades in Mathematics, English, and Swedish. (2) grade point average (GPA). Results: In all 3 subject grades, for boys with cleft there was no difference when compared to the male population. Girls with cleft were similar to their peers with a few exceptions. Girls with CLP had lower Math grades, and girls with CP had lower Math, English, and Swedish grades. Girls with CP and CLP achieved a significantly lower GPA in comparison to the female population and boys with CP and CL achieved lower GPAs in comparison to the male population. Conclusions: This study indicates that educational outcomes for girls with cleft are more negatively affected than for boys with cleft.


2017 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 356-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Jane Fitzsimons ◽  
Lynn P Copley ◽  
Efrosini Setakis ◽  
Susan C Charman ◽  
Scott A Deacon ◽  
...  

ObjectivesWe used national data to study differences in academic achievement between 5-year-old children with an isolated oral cleft and the general population. We also assessed differences by cleft type.MethodsChildren born in England with an oral cleft were identified in a national cleft registry. Their records were linked to databases of hospital admissions (to identify additional anomalies) and educational outcomes. Z-scores (signed number of SD actual score is above national average) were calculated to make outcome scores comparable across school years and across six assessed areas (personal development, communication and language, maths, knowledge of world, physical development andcreative development).Results2802 children without additional anomalies, 5 years old between 2006 and 2012, were included. Academic achievement was significantly below national average for all six assessed areas with z-scores ranging from −0.24 (95% CI −0.32 to −0.16) for knowledge of world to −0.31 (−0.38 to −0.23) for personal development. Differences were small with only a cleft lip but considerably larger with clefts involving the palate. 29.4% of children were documented as having special education needs (national rate 9.7%), which varied according to cleft type from 13.2% with cleft lip to 47.6% with bilateral cleft lip and palate.ConclusionsCompared with national average, 5-year-old children with an isolated oral cleft, especially those involving the palate, have significantly poorer academic achievement across all areas of learning. These outcomes reflect results of modern surgical techniques and multidisciplinary approach. Children with a cleft may benefit from extra academic support when starting school.


1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Mccance ◽  
David Roberts-Harry ◽  
Martyn Sherriff ◽  
Michael Mars ◽  
William J.B. Houston

The study models of a group of adult Sri Lankan patients with clefts of the secondary palate were investigated. Tooth-size and arch-dimension comparisons were made with a comparable control group. Significant differences were found between the cleft and control groups in tooth sizes, chord lengths, and arch widths. The cleft group dimensions were generally smaller than those of the control group. Overjets were larger in the cleft group.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105566562098769
Author(s):  
Mecheala Abbas Ali ◽  
Alwaleed Fadul Nasir ◽  
Shaza K. Abass

Objective: This study compared the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among children with a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate (CL±P) and a group of their peers. The reliability of the Arabic version of the Child Oral Health Impact Profile Questionnaire (COHIP) was also assessed. Design: A cross-sectional study. Settings: Cleft clinic in a private dental college in Omdurman City, Sudan. Patients: In all, 75 children (mean age 11.3 ± 2.5 years) with a history of CL±P and a group of 150 school children without CL±P (mean age 11.4 ± 2.6 years). Main Outcome Measures: Overall and subscale scores on the Arabic version of the COHIP. Results: Test–retest reliability of COHIP in Arabic was high with an interclass correlation coefficient >0.8. Cronbach α value internal consistency was 0.8 for the total scale and between 0.7 and 0.8 for the subscales. The COHIP score was 89.41 ± 19.97 in children with CL±P and 122.82 ± 9.45 for the control group. Children with CL±P had significantly lower scores on the overall and all subscales when compared to children without CL±P ( P ≤ .001). Among the children with CL±P, there were no statistically significant differences on the COHIP based on age and/or gender ( P ≥ .05). Conclusions: Children with CL±P had a relatively high OHRQoL, which was lower than that of their peers without CL±P in both the overall scale and all subscales. Gender and age differences had no significant impact on the OHRQoL. The COHIP Arabic version showed appropriate reliability.


2020 ◽  
Vol 07 (03) ◽  
pp. 075-079
Author(s):  
Mahamad Irfanulla Khan ◽  
Prashanth CS

AbstractCleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) is one of the most common congenital malformations in humans involving various genetic and environmental risk factors. The prevalence of CL/P varies according to geographical location, ethnicity, race, gender, and socioeconomic status, affecting approximately 1 in 800 live births worldwide. Genetic studies aim to understand the mechanisms contributory to a phenotype by measuring the association between genetic variants and also between genetic variants and phenotype population. Genome-wide association studies are standard tools used to discover genetic loci related to a trait of interest. Genetic association studies are generally divided into two main design types: population-based studies and family-based studies. The epidemiological population-based studies comprise unrelated individuals that directly compare the frequency of genetic variants between (usually independent) cases and controls. The alternative to population-based studies (case–control designs) includes various family-based study designs that comprise related individuals. An example of such a study is a case–parent trio design study, which is commonly employed in genetics to identify the variants underlying complex human disease where transmission of alleles from parents to offspring is studied. This article describes the fundamentals of case–parent trio study, trio design and its significances, statistical methods, and limitations of the trio studies.


2020 ◽  
pp. 105566562098024
Author(s):  
Kim Bettens ◽  
Laura Bruneel ◽  
Cassandra Alighieri ◽  
Daniel Sseremba ◽  
Duncan Musasizib ◽  
...  

Objective: To provide speech outcomes of English-speaking Ugandan patients with a cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CP±L). Design: Prospective case–control study. Setting: Referral hospital for patients with cleft lip and palate in Uganda. Participants: Twenty-four English-speaking Ugandan children with a CP±L (15 boys, 9 girls, mean 8.4 years) who received palatal closure prior to 6 months of age and an age- and gender-matched control group of Ugandan children without cleft palate. Interventions: Comparison of speech outcomes of the patient and control group. Main Outcome Measures: Perceptual speech outcomes including articulation, resonance, speech understandability and acceptability, and velopharyngeal composite score (VPC-sum). Information regarding speech therapy, fistula rate, and secondary surgery. Results: Normal speech understandability was observed in 42% of the patients, and 38% were judged with normal speech acceptability. Only 16% showed compensatory articulation. Acceptable resonance was found in 71%, and 75% of the patients were judged perceptually to present with competent velopharyngeal function based on the VPC-sum. Additional speech intervention was recommended in 25% of the patients. Statistically significant differences for all these variables were still observed with the control children ( P < .05). Conclusions: Overall, acceptable speech outcomes were found after early primary palatal closure. Comparable or even better results were found in comparison with international benchmarks, especially regarding the presence of compensatory articulation. Whether this approach is transferable to Western countries is the subject for further research.


2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 529-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Al-Dajani

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of dental caries in patients with cleft lip and/or palate and their cleft-free sibling controls. Methods: The two subject groups (patient and control) comprised 106 participants. The former group consisted of 53 patients with cleft lip and/or palate, aged 12 to 29 years, who visited the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Hospital at Damascus University of Syria. The control group consisted of the patients’ siblings who had no clefts, and they were sex matched to the patient group. Dental caries were examined clinically and were reported using the decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) index. The DMFT scores were compared between the two groups. Results: The author found an overall association of dental caries with the presence of cleft lip and/or palate (odds ratio  =  2.52; 95% confidence interval  =  1.389–4.574; p < .05). The DMFT index scores were proportionally higher in patients with cleft lip and/or palate compared with the control group (p < .001). Conclusion: Subjects with cleft lip and palate are susceptible to dental caries independently of socioeconomic status.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 104-110
Author(s):  
V. S. Uchaeva ◽  
Yu. A. Vasiliev ◽  
A. S. Gracheva ◽  
O. V. Gulenko ◽  
I. G. Udina

Aim. This research was designed to conduct an associative population genetic study for the consideration of the impact of SNP C677T of the gene MTHFR in the congenital maxillofacial developmental anomalies (CMDA): congenital cleft lip (CCL), congenital cleft palate (CCP), congenital cleft lip and palate (CCLP) in the Krasnodar territory. The aim of the study is to establish the associations between SNP C677T of the gene MTHFR and the development of congenital cleft lip and/ or palate.Materials and methods. In this research, the peculiarities of distribution of SNP C667T of the gene MTHFR in children with congenital cleft lip and/or palate (n=223) and their mothers (n=78) in comparison with the control group (n=124) were studied in the Krasnodar territory. The genetic demographic questionnaires were gathered for children with CMDA, the information about diagnosis was obtained from the medical records. The biological samples, including blood or scrapings of oral mucosa, were collected from children with the pathology and their mothers. The DNA was extracted from the samples by the standard method. The study of the peculiarities of distribution of alleles of SNP C677T of the gene MTHFR was performed by PCR-PFLP with endonuclease Hinf I or by tetra-primer ARMS-PCR method in children with CCL, CCP, CCLP, their mothers and the control group. Statistical processing of the obtained data was performed by the algorithms of the “Statistica” program.Results. While comparing the profiles of frequencies of SNP C677T in children with CCL, CCP and CCLP with the control group, there were identified no significant differences in the frequency of this SNP and no peculiarities of genotypes distribution. There was identified a significant difference in the peculiarities of genotypes distribution with the control group (G=19,5232, d.f.=1, p<0,001) as well as united genotypes (С/C и С/T) in accordance to T/T (G=10,4657, d.f.=1; p<0,001) and united genotypes (C/T и T/T) in accordance to C/C (G=15,1896, d.f.=1, p<0,001) for the mothers of children with CCL, CCP and CCLP.Conclusion. As a result of the study, we established the association of SNP C677T of the MTHFR gene with the development of congenital cleft lip and/or palate: mothers’ T/T genotype is associated with the increased risk of giving birth to a child with CCL, CCP and CCLP (in comparison with mothers with C/C+C/T genotype): odds ratio [OR]=16,63, 95% CI: 3,86-71,71; p=0,0003 and also for mothers with genotypes (C/T+T/T) in comparison with mothers with genotypes C/C: OR=3,22, CI:1,71-6,08; p=0,0002. The amount of risk is not significant in children with CMDA for T/T genotype. So it is possible to make a conclusion about the impact of C677T of the gene MTHFR in the development of CCL, CCP and CCLP only in mother’s genotype. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 368-374
Author(s):  
I. V. Nesterova ◽  
M. N. Mitropanova ◽  
G. A. Chudilova ◽  
S. V. Kovaleva ◽  
E. O. Khalturina

It is known that children with congenital cleft lip and palate are suffering from recurrent respiratory infections, which worsen the state of their health, and also complicate the results of reconstructive surgical treatment. The aim of the study was to detect defects of mucosal immunity in children with congenital cleft lip and palate, suffering from recurrent respiratory infections, and to create the program of local interferon corrective therapy with an assessment of its effectiveness. The studies included 56 children from the age of 1 to 3 years. Three groups of children were formed: group 1 – 26 children with congenital cleft lip and palate (antibiotic therapy); group 2 — 30 children with congenital cleft lip and palate (antibiotic therapy + local interferon therapy), group 3 — the control group. The clinical examination included a medical history, an assessment of the symptoms of recurrent episodes of acute respiratory infections and exacerbations of chronic infections. Microbiological studies were performed using standard methods. The status of local immunity was detected: the concentrations of secretory IgA, cytokines IL-17, IL-4, IL-6, IL-1β, IFNγ in the oral fluid were tested by ELISA. Results of the study established that in group 1 and group 2 clinical criteria of immunodeficiency with an infectious syndrome were revealed: repeated acute respiratory viral infections from 10 or more times a year, complicated by frequent exacerbations of chronic bacterial infection (up to 10 or more per year). Assessment of the state of local immunity in children with congenital cleft lip and palate revealed a lack of sIgA compared with the control group. Before treatment in group 2 oral fluid level of IL-17, IL-6 were statistically significant increase (p < 0.05); the results of the study also established increase in the level of IL-1β and a decrease in anti-inflammatory IL-4 and regulatory IFNγ relative to the control group (p > 0.05). After complex treatment with the inclusion of local interferon therapy in group 2 the appearance of sIgA, increase in the concentration of IL-4, IL-1β and a decrease IL-17 in oral fluid were observed (p > 0.05). The concentrations of IL-6, IFNγ did not change (p > 0.05). After treatment in group 2 there were a decrease in exacerbations of chronic upper respiratory tract infection and in frequency of acute respiratory viral infections compared with group 1 (p < 0.05). Positive clinical efficacy of local interferon therapy (the gel of recombinant IFNα2b in combination with oxidants — Viferon gel) in the process of staged rehabilitation of children with congenital cleft lip and palate has a protective clinical effect in reducing the frequency of acute respiratory viral infections, reducing the number of postoperative complications, reducing hospital stay, duration of antibacterial therapy and the number of exacerbations of chronic bacterial infection.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e048550
Author(s):  
Belinda W C Ommering ◽  
Floris M van Blankenstein ◽  
Friedo W Dekker

ObjectivesMedicine is facing a physician-scientist shortage. By offering extracurricular research programmes (ERPs), the physician-scientist training pipeline could already start in undergraduate phases of medical training. However, previous studies into the effects of ERPs are mainly retrospective and lack baseline measurements and control groups. Therefore, the current study mimics a randomised controlled trial to examine the effects of an ERP.DesignProspective cohort study with baseline measurement and comparable control group.SettingOne cohort of 315 medical undergraduates in one Dutch University Medical Center are surveyed yearly. To examine the effects of the ERP on academic achievement and motivational factors, regression analyses were used to compare ERP students to students showing ERP-interest only, adjusted for relevant baseline scores.ParticipantsOut of the 315 students of the whole cohort, 56 participated within the ERP and are thus included. These ERP students are compared with 38 students showing ERP-interest only (ie, control group).Primary outcome measureAcademic achievement after 2 years (ie, in-time bachelor completion, bachelor grade point average (GPA)) and motivational factors after 18 months (ie, intrinsic motivation for research, research self-efficacy, perceptions of research, curiosity).ResultsERP participation is related to a higher odds of obtaining a bachelor degree in the appointed amount of time (adjusted OR=2.95, 95% CI 0.83 to 10.52). Furthermore, starting the ERP resulted in higher levels of intrinsic motivation for research, also after adjusting for gender, age, first-year GPA and motivational baseline scores (β=0.33, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.63). No effect was found on research self-efficacy beliefs, perceptions of research and curiosity.ConclusionsPrevious research suggested that intrinsic motivation is related to short-term and long-term research engagement. As our findings indicate that starting the ERP is related to increased levels of intrinsic motivation for research, ERPs for undergraduates could be seen as an important first step in the physician-scientist pipeline.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document