Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate

Cleft lip and cleft palate are facial and oral malformations that occur very early in pregnancy, while the baby is developing inside the mother. Clefting results when there is not enough tissue in the mouth or lip area, and the tissue that is available does not join together properly.

A cleft lip is a physical split or separation of the two sides of the upper lip and appears as a narrow opening or gap in the skin of the upper lip. This separation often extends beyond the base of the nose and includes the bones of the upper jaw and/or upper gum.

A cleft palate is a split or opening in the roof of the mouth. A cleft palate can involve the hard palate (the bony front portion of the roof of the mouth), and/or the soft palate (the soft back portion of the roof of the mouth).

Cleft lip and cleft palate can occur on one or both sides of the mouth. Because the lip and the palate develop separately, it is possible to have a cleft lip without a cleft palate, a cleft palate without a cleft lip, or both together.

Two Children with Cleft Lip in Karnataka, India

Who Gets Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate?

Cleft lip, with or without cleft palate, affects one in 700 babies annually, and is the fourth most common birth defect in the U.S. Clefts occur more often in children of Asian, Latino, or Native American descent. Compared with girls, twice as many boys have a cleft lip, both with and without a cleft palate. However, compared with boys, twice as many girls have cleft palate without a cleft lip.

What Causes a Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate?

In most cases, the cause of cleft lip and cleft palate is unknown. These conditions cannot be prevented. Most scientists believe clefts are due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. There appears to be a greater chance of clefting in a newborn if a sibling, parent, or relative has had the problem.

Another potential cause may be related to a medication a mother may have taken during her pregnancy. Some drugs may cause cleft lip and cleft palate. Among them: anti-seizure/anticonvulsant drugs, acne drugs containing Accutane, and methotrexate, a drug commonly used for treating cancer, arthritis, and psoriasis.

Cleft lip and cleft palate may also occur as a result of exposure to viruses or chemicals while the fetus is developing in the womb.

In other situations, cleft lip and cleft palate may be part of another medical condition.

How Are Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate Diagnosed?

Because clefting causes very obvious physical changes, a cleft lip or cleft palate is easy to diagnose. Prenatal ultrasound can sometimes determine if a cleft exists in an unborn child. If the clefting has not been detected in an ultrasound prior to the baby's birth, a physical exam of the mouth, nose, and palate confirms the presence of cleft lip or cleft palate after a child's birth. Sometimes diagnostic testing may be conducted to determine or rule out the presence of other abnormalities.

More information : http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/cleft-lip-cleft-palate & https://www.facebook.com/facialdeformities

Trinity Care Foundation is a Non Governmental Organization focusing on Craniofacial Surgeries, School Health and Outreach Health Programs in Karnataka, India.

Contact us : support@trinitycarefoundation.org

Connect With us To know more about our Health Initiatives, in the below Profiles:- 

                   : Flickr : Facebook : Pinterest : YouTube : Wordpress : 

Cleft Lip and Palate

Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that affect the upper lip and roof of the mouth. They happen when the tissue that forms the roof of the mouth and upper lip don't join before birth. The problem can range from a small notch in the lip to a groove that runs into the roof of the mouth and nose. This can affect the way the child's face looks. It can also lead to problems with eating, talking and ear infections.

Treatment usually is surgery to close the lip and palate. Doctors often do this surgery in several stages. Usually the first surgery is during the baby's first year. With treatment, most children with cleft lip or palate do well.

Trinity Care Foundation is a Non Governmental Organization focusing on Craniofacial Surgeries, School Health and Outreach Health Programs in Karnataka, India.

Contact us : support@trinitycarefoundation.org

Connect With us To know more about our Health Initiatives, in the below Profiles:- 

                   : Flickr : Facebook : Pinterest : YouTube : Wordpress : 

Cleft Lip

Cleft lip (split of the upper lip) is a common congenital deformity. It occurs when the separate areas of the face that develop individually and then join together, do not join properly. Cleft lip is a separation of the two sides of the lip and often includes the bones of the maxilla and/or the upper gum.

Trinity Care Foundation Provides Holistic Care to such Children and Adults in Karnataka, India.

Write To us : support@trinitycarefoundation.org
Flickr Profile : http://www.flickr.com/photos/trinitycarefoundation/

Join us in Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/trinitycarefoundation

View our Videos in YouTube Channel : Trinity Care Foundation 

Cleft Lip and Palate

Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that affect the upper lip and roof of the mouth. They happen when the tissue that forms the roof of the mouth and upper lip don't join before birth. The problem can range from a small notch in the lip to a groove that runs into the roof of the mouth and nose. This can affect the way the child's face looks. It can also lead to problems with eating, talking and ear infections.

Treatment usually is surgery to close the lip and palate. Doctors often do this surgery in several stages. Usually the first surgery is during the baby's first year. With treatment, most children with cleft lip or palate do well.

Trinity Care Foundation is a Non Governmental Organization focusing on Craniofacial Surgeries, School Health and Outreach Health Programs in Karnataka, India.

Contact us : support@trinitycarefoundation.org

Connect With us To know more about our Health Initiatives, in the below Profiles:- 

                   : Flickr : Facebook : Pinterest : YouTube : Wordpress :  

Outreach Health Program in Channapatna Hospital

On the 28^th of July 2012, the Trinity Care Foundation conducted a free medical camp in the government hospital in Channapatna, Karnataka. This medical camp aimed at identifying patients from the region with facial deformities who required surgical procedures to rectify them.

Trinity Care Foundation worked in conjunction with government health officials in order to organize this event. Health Workers from villages in the district were directed in advance to escort patients with facial deformities to this camp. In order to spread the word about the camp, the foundation organized press releases in local newspapers and also put up advertisement posters in and around the town.  Additionally, a regional TV network was asked to cover the event itself.

Consultation

A team of 11, including doctors as well as interested observers from other organizations, set out from Bangalore early in the morning and arrived at Channapatna hospital, the site of the camp at around 10:45 am.

Once there, the team began examining patients – who consisted mostly of young children and middle aged adults – to determine the extent of their deformities and decide on a possible course of action to correct these problems. These patients, led by their Health workers attended the camp after travelling from villages as distant as 60 km from the hospital.

ASHA Workers

The team distributed toys – like plastic flutes, rubber pencils and even colouring books – as well as candies among the patients to help them feel comfortable during the process of examination. Nearly twenty people were examined for facial deformities, which included cleft lip and palate problems, misaligned parts and even locked jaws. The doctors explained to each patient – and in many cases, parents and other relatives of these patients as well – exactly what procedures needed to be done to cure them of their deformities. While the team had anticipated a problem in convincing patients of the need for surgery, there did not appear to be any such issue. Each person examined was given a diagnosis and a prescription sheet, and some patients were also asked to come into Bangalore for a surgery on a given date.

The camp closed at 1:30 pm, after every single patient had been observed. Trinity Care Foundation hopes to build on its successes by organizing another such camp soon. Patients who require surgery will be treated at hospitals in Bangalore. 

Trinity Care Foundation is a Non Governmental Organization focusing on Craniofacial Surgeries, School Health and Outreach Health Programs in Karnataka, India.

Contact us : support@trinitycarefoundation.org

Connect With us To know more about our Health Initiatives, in the below Profiles:- 

                   : Flickr : Facebook : Pinterest : YouTube : Wordpress : 

Outreach Health Programs

Community outreach programs is an important vehicle for reducing the discovery-delivery disconnect by bringing health education and Health screening services directly to community members. Such programs are consistent with the priority areas of Trinity Care Foundation initiatives for reducing health disparities.

Outreach programs are important tools for bringing health education and screening services directly to community members and serve to contribute to reducing health disparities.They assist communities and hospitals to reach mutually beneficial goals that would otherwise not be achievable for promoting accessible and equitable care .

Community Health Program focusing on the rural poor. A Team of Public health professionals consisting of Physician, Pediatrician, Gynecologist, Ophthalmologist and Dental surgeons visit the rural areas of Bangalore Rural and Kolar District and provide valuable service. Medicines are distributed at free of cost. 

Trinity Care Foundation is a Non Governmental Organization focusing on Craniofacial Deformities, School Health and Outreach Programs in Karnataka, India. We work in synergy with the Education Department of Karnataka (known as DPI) and Health Department, Karnataka to implement Outreach Programs.

Reach us at : support@trinitycarefoundation.org 

Some of the Public Health Programs of Trinity Care Foundation are:

1. Community Health at Beerasandra Village. Karnataka.
2. Tobacco Awareness at Government College.
3. Medical Camp at Doddamanchu, Tamil Nadu.
4. Public Health Dentistry Programs
5. Health Program for Children living with HIV

There is Medical Check-up for the Students in the Village Government School and also for the Teachers and Parents of the Students. Medicines are distributed along with Dental Treatments ( Scaling, Restorations and Extractions). Medical team consists of Physician, Pediatrician, Gynecologist and Ophthalmologist. Dental Team consists of Public Health Dentists along with a Mobile Dental Unit which has 2 high- tech dental chairs.

Facial Deformity Screening Camp in Malavalli Taluk, Karnataka, India.

                          Screening Camp to rectify Facial Deformities

Screening Camp 

Trinity Care Foundation is a Non Governmental Organization focusing on Craniofacial Deformities, School Health and Outreach Programs in Karnataka, India.We requires your Support to implement these community Health Programs in Government Schools and Colleges in Ramanagara, Kolar and Bangalore Rural Districts. Kindly Contact us..Email: support@trinitycarefoundation.org  .