ObjectiveTo determine the changes in felt needs of caregivers of children with cleft lip and/or palate (iCL/P) from first clinic presentation to first surgical intervention.DesignLongitudinal observational study.SettingA tertiary hospital in Nigeria.Patients, ParticipantsCaregivers of children with nonsyndromic CL/P (iCL/P) managed at a tertiary hospital in Nigeria from January 2023 to December 2024.InterventionMultiple semistructured counseling sessions.Main Outcome MeasuresCaregivers felt needs at time of first clinic presentation (T1) and at time of first surgical intervention (T2).ResultsEighty caregivers, all mothers of children with iCL/P were included. Their mean age was 31.1 ± 6.24 years. At T1, information on etiology of iCL/P, surgical intervention, feeding and potential speech challenges were considered very significant needs. Feeding was also considered a primary concern for most participants. At T2, after counseling sessions, there was a statistically significant reduction in the proportion of caregivers who considered information on surgical intervention, improvement in family and community acceptance and improvement in clinical psychology as very significant needs, while potential speech challenge became the primary concern of most caregivers. Caregivers of children below 1 month of age were also found to have significantly higher felt needs compared to those with older children.ConclusionsThe waiting period between birth and first corrective surgery can be stressful for caregivers of children with iCL/P. Repeated counseling from first clinic visit to first surgical intervention may be beneficial to caregivers and should focus on the domains of needs highlighted in this study.

ObjectiveSense of coherence (SOC) refers to an individual's psychological orientation that allows for successful stress management. This study aimed to determine the relationship between experience of stigmatization and SOC of caregivers of children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P).DesignCross-sectional.SettingA tertiary hospital in Nigeria.Patients/ParticipantsCaregivers of children with CL/P managed from January 2023 to December 2024.Outcome MeasuresCaregivers' stigmatization against their child with CL/P, their experience of societal stigmatization, and their SOC.ResultsA total of 158 caregivers, all mothers, participated in this study. Their age ranged from 17 to 44 years, with a median age of 30 years. The age range of participants' children was 1 to 23 weeks, and their median age was 5 weeks. Twenty-two (13.9%) mothers felt shame when their child was born, and 18 (11.4%) wished their child was never born. The majority (81.0%) of participants had low experience of societal stigmatization. For SOC, the minimum score recorded was 26, the maximum was 65, and the mean was 44.9 ± 8.94. Caregiver stigmatization against children with CL/P was more commonly seen among those with low SOC, while most mothers with high SOC exhibited positive reactions toward their child (P < .05). Similarly, the majority of caregivers with low experience of societal stigmatization had high SOC, while caregivers with high experience of societal stigmatization had low SOC (P < .05).ConclusionLow experience of stigmatization was significantly associated with high SOC and vice versa. This study suggests that SOC may be dampened by stigmatization, which can have harmful consequences in cleft management.

Background: The psychosocial issues surrounding having a cleft lip/palate (CL/P) as an adult, especially in low- and middle-income countries, are a key area for research in cleft management that requires attention. This study aims to explore the lived experiences related to CL/P of a sample of adults with CL/P receiving orofacial cleft care at our institution. Methods: This is a qualitative study in which in-depth interviews were conducted for adult individuals not <18 years of age with CL/P in Lagos, Nigeria. Interviews were recorded on an audio device and transcription was done using an edited intelligent verbatim transcription approach. Data analysis was done using a thematic analysis approach. Results: Fifteen individuals were recruited into the study, 11 females and 4 males. The averagee age was 28.3 (standard deviation 9.9) years. Nine were single, never married, and 13 had a tertiary level education. Participants described their experience of living with CL/P as limiting, mainly due to a feeling of not being understood by others due to their speech impairment. This limitation also extended to their ability to have stable romantic relationships and form close bonds outside their family. This limitation did not extend to their overall educational attainment, although there were experiences of bullying, especially during primary and secondary schooling, due mainly to their looking different. Conclusion: The psychosocialwell-being of individuals with CL/P should be considered an important treatment outcome. The result of this study has highlighted the need for this gap to be filled in comprehensive cleft care.

This study reviews the craniofacial clefts that presented at a Nigerian tertiary health facility, highlighting our experience with the pattern of presentation and surgical care of these patients. A retrospective review of the smile train database and medical records of all individuals who had been diagnosed with any of the Tessier craniofacial clefts and managed between 1st January 2007 and 31st December 2020 was done. The data were presented as numbers and percentages of cases. The cleft clinic of a tertiary health facility and a major cleft referral center in South-West Nigeria. Forty-five patients with craniofacial clefts were managed over the study period. 15.6% had associated syndromes, 2.2% had a family history of similar craniofacial cleft and 11% had a history of a possible teratogen. There were 21 (46.7%) middle clefts, 14(31.1%) lateral clefts and 10(22.2%) oblique clefts. The most common type of cleft was Tessier 0 while the Tessier 6 was the least common type. The median age at surgery was 10 months for male and 5months for female subjects, 15.3% complication rate was found in this study. Four patients had revision surgeries to correct residual deformities in this study. The diverse presentations and occurrence of the rare craniofacial clefts present complex aesthetic and functional problems that require individualized often multidisciplinary care. The execution of a properly planned treatment will reduce complications and the need for revision surgeries.

Abstract This study aimed to determine the normative facial anthropometry measurement among Nigerians using three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry analysis. This study was carried out in Lagos, Nigeria over a period of 3 years. The sample population was Nigerians of diverse ethnic groups, age 16 and above with no history of congenital or acquired craniofacial deformities. A total of 452 subjects participated in the study with 56.2% males and 43.8% females. Most of the participants were between the ages of 25 to 49 (54.4%), 40.7% were less than 25 years of age and only 4.4% were more than 50 years old. The mean body mass index (BMI) for males was 22.7 and 23.4 for females. Mean values of upper facial height, midfacial height, lower facial height, intercanthal distance, interpupillary distance, upper facial width, and lower facial width are 69.13 ± 5.91, 49.89 ± 3.56, 67.85 ± 6.12, 35.19 ± 3.20, 67.04 ± 3.67, 139.43 ± 7.11, and 124.29 ± 9.72 mm, respectively. The upper facial height, commissure width, upper lip length, and lower jaw width were significantly affected by age, while the BMI of an individual was a determinant of the interpupillary distance, facial width, and lower jaw width. This study demonstrated that there was a statistically significant difference in the facial dimensions of males when compared to females across all ages among the study population. The authors also observed that age and BMI are significant predictors of variations in some of the measurements.

INTRODUCTION:Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are among the most common craniofacial developmental abnormalities worldwide and a significant cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to identify patterns of patient presentation, treatment approaches, and changes in our overall cleft care service between 2007 and 2019.METHODS AND METHODOLOGY:A retrospective review of patients managed at a tertiary health facility in Nigeria of all OFC cases operated between 2007 and 2019 was done using the postintervention data retrieved from the Smile Train database. Data of all OFC cases operated within the period were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Descriptive statistics were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0.RESULTS:A total number of 740 OFC surgeries were performed in 565 patients, consisting of 269 females (48.2%) and 289 males (51.8%). The majority (63%) of the patients presented before the age of 2 years. Thirty-seven percent presented with cleft lip and alveolus, 27.1% with cleft palate only, and 36.7% with cleft lip, alveolus, and palate. Primary cleft lip repair was the most performed surgery (n = 320, 43.2%), the mean age at repair was 2.1 years. Since 2017, additional services such as speech therapy, mixed dentition orthodontics, and nutritional support were added to services provided to our cleft patients. Fifteen patients have undergone speech assessment and three have completed speech treatment. Eight patients have undergone mixed dentition stage orthodontic treatment.DISCUSSION:Our services have evolved from simply providing surgical care to comprehensive care with a multidisciplinary team approach and provision of a wide range of services including nutritional counseling, pediatric care, orthodontic services, and speech therapy. We believe these will improve the overall well-being of our patients while we continue to improve on services based on clinical research outcomes.

BACKGROUND:Orofacial clefts (OCs) are one of the most common craniofacial anomalies and are reported to be associated with congenital cardiovascular anomalies (CCAs). However, there is paucity of data in African populations on the risk of CCAs in OC patients compared to the general population.AIMS:This study aims to determine the odds of congenital cardiovascular anomalies in patients with OC compared to the general population.SUBJECTS AND METHODS:A case-control study design was used. Case subjects were non-syndromic OC subjects, while controls were non-syndromic subjects without OC. All subjects were thoroughly assessed by a pediatric cardiologist for CCAs; and grouped by OC phenotypic type (cleft lip and/or alveolus, cleft lip and palate, cleft palate only and Tessier cleft). Statistical analysis was done using STATA version 14 (College Station, Texas), and significance was placed at P value ≤0.05.RESULTS:A total of 120 subjects (60 cases and 60 controls) were enrolled in the study. In total, 23.3% of the subjects had CCAs. Among the case group, 40% had CCAs compared to 6.7% in the control group. Patent foramen ovale (18.3%) and atrial septal defects (10.0%) were the most common type of CCAs in cases, respectively. Further, cases had significantly higher odds of CCAs compared to controls (OR: 9.3; CI: 2.8, 39.4).CONCLUSIONS:Our finding reveals that the odds of CCAs are significantly higher in patients with OC than the general population. Future studies could assess the effect of CCAs on surgical outcome.

In contrast to the progress that has been made toward understanding the genetic etiology of cleft lip with or without cleft palate, relatively little is known about the genetic etiology for cleft palate only (CPO). A common coding variant of grainyhead like transcription factor 3 ( GRHL3) was recently shown to be associated with risk for CPO in Europeans. Mutations in this gene were also reported in families with Van der Woude syndrome. To identify rare mutations in GRHL3 that might explain the missing heritability for CPO, we sequenced GRHL3 in cases of CPO from Africa. We recruited participants from Ghana, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. This cohort included case-parent trios, cases and other family members, as well as controls. We sequenced exons of this gene in DNA from a total of 134 nonsyndromic cases. When possible, we sequenced them in parents to identify de novo mutations. Five novel mutations were identified: 2 missense (c.497C>A; p.Pro166His and c.1229A>G; p.Asp410Gly), 1 splice site (c.1282A>C p.Ser428Arg), 1 frameshift (c.470delC; p.Gly158Alafster55), and 1 nonsense (c.1677C>A; p.Tyr559Ter). These mutations were absent from 270 sequenced controls and from all public exome and whole genome databases, including the 1000 Genomes database (which includes data from Africa). However, 4 of the 5 mutations were present in unaffected mothers, indicating that their penetrance is incomplete. Interestingly, 1 mutation damaged a predicted sumoylation site, and another disrupted a predicted CK1 phosphorylation site. Overexpression assays in zebrafish and reporter assays in vitro indicated that 4 variants were functionally null or hypomorphic, while 1 was dominant negative. This study provides evidence that, as in Caucasian populations, mutations in GRHL3 contribute to the risk of nonsyndromic CPO in the African population.

Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are congenital dysmorphologies of the human face and oral cavity, with a global incidence of 1 per 700 live births. These anomalies exhibit a multifactorial pattern of inheritance, with genetic and environmental factors both playing crucial roles. Many loci have been implicated in the etiology of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) in populations of Asian and European ancestries, through genome-wide association studies and candidate gene studies. However, few populations of African descent have been studied to date. Here, the authors show evidence of an association of some loci with NSCL/P and nonsyndromic cleft palate only (NSCPO) in cohorts from Africa (Ghana, Ethiopia, and Nigeria). The authors genotyped 48 single-nucleotide polymorphisms that were selected from previous genome-wide association studies and candidate gene studies. These markers were successfully genotyped on 701 NSCL/P and 163 NSCPO cases, 1,070 unaffected relatives, and 1,078 unrelated controls. The authors also directly sequenced 7 genes in 184 nonsyndromic OFC (NSOFC) cases and 96 controls from Ghana. Population-specific associations were observed in the case-control analyses of the subpopulations, with West African subpopulations (Ghana and Nigeria) showing a similar pattern of associations. In meta-analyses of the case-control cohort, PAX7 (rs742071, P = 5.10 × 10−3), 8q24 (rs987525, P = 1.22 × 10−3), and VAX1 (rs7078160, P = 0.04) were nominally associated with NSCL/P, and MSX1 (rs115200552, P = 0.01), TULP4 (rs651333, P = 0.04), CRISPLD2 (rs4783099, P = 0.02), and NOG1 (rs17760296, P = 0.04) were nominally associated with NSCPO. Moreover, 7 loci exhibited evidence of threshold overtransmission in NSOFC cases through the transmission disequilibrium test and through analyses of the family-based association for disease traits. Through DNA sequencing, the authors also identified 2 novel, rare, potentially pathogenic variants (p.Asn323Asp and p.Lys426IlefsTer6) in ARHGAP29. In conclusion, the authors have shown evidence for the association of many loci with NSCL/P and NSCPO. To the best of this knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate any of these association signals in any African population.

Congenital maxillomandibular fusion is a very rare condition with few cases reported worldwide. This paper reports a rare case of bony maxillomandibular fusion of the jaws, with synechiae of buccal mucosa and the gingivae in an adult patient. Separation of the fusion was done under general anesthesia. Isolated cleft of the hard palate was discovered during surgery. This report adds more information to literature, by reporting an adult with syngnathia and isolated cleft of the hard palate.

Orofacial clefts are the most common malformations of the head and neck. In Africa, orofacial clefts are underascertained, with little or no surveillance system in most parts for clefts and other birth defects. A Nigerian craniofacial anomalies study, NigeriaCRAN, was established in 2006 to support cleft research specifically for epidemiological studies, treatment outcomes, and studies into etiology and prevention. We pooled data from seven of the largest Smile Train treatment centers in the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Data from September 2006 to June 2011 were analyzed and clefts compared between sides and genders using the Fisher exact test. A total of 2197 cases were identified during the study period, with an estimated prevalence rate of 0.5 per 1000. Of the total number of orofacial clefts, 54.4% occur in males and 45.6% in females. There was a significant difference (P = .0001) between unilateral left clefts and unilateral right clefts, and there was a significant difference (P = .0001) between bilateral clefts and clefts on either the left or right side. A significant gender difference (P = .03) was also observed for cleft palate, with more females than males. A total of 103 (4.7%) associated anomalies were identified. There were nine syndromic cleft cases, and 10.4% of the total number of individuals with clefts have an affected relative. The significant difference between unilateral clefts and the gender differences in the proportion of cleft palate only are consistent with the literature. The present study emphasizes the need for birth defects registries in developing countries in order to estimate the exact prevalence of birth defects including orofacial clefts.

Justification for the requests for homologous blood that accompany major elective maxillofacial surgical procedures is difficult to establish in most cases. This attitude of ordering for cross-matched blood is understandable in today's legal climate, but has led to serious problems in terms of laboratory inefficiency which can no longer be ignored. To evaluate the pattern of ordering and use of homologous blood, and transfusion ratios for major elective maxillofacial surgeries at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba Lagos. Sixty-three consecutive subjects who required major elective maxillofacial surgery under general anaesthesia, and who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Data collected included age, sex, weight, and height of subjects, type of surgery done, preoperative and intraoperative haemoglobin concentration, blood units cross-matched and units transfused intraoperatively. Each subject was made to donate through a representative donor, at least one unit of homologous blood prior to surgery. There was a male predominance (57.1%) among subjects, with male to female ratio of 1.3 : 1. Mean age of subjects was 33.9 ± 13.5 years. O+ was the most predominant blood group (62%). Tumours (58.8%), were the most common indication for surgery. Majority of subjects (95.2%), had a preoperative haemoglobin concentration of ≥ 10 g/dl. Haemoglobin concentration at the point of transfusion was ˂ 10 g/dl for 58.8% of transfused subjects. The overall cross-match to transfusion ratio was 3.35, overall probability of transfusion was 26.9%, while the overall transfusion index was 0.6. Only oncological surgical procedures showed an efficient blood usage in all the 3 indices. This study also demonstrated that only onclogical surgical procedures have an indication for cross-matching of blood for surgery, however there is a need to determine the maximum surgical blood ordering schedule for these procedures. There is therefore the need to change the blood ordering pattern, and minimize over-ordering of blood for major elective maxillofacial surgery.medicine

BACKGROUND:The central third of the face is distorted by the bilateral cleft of the lip and palate and restoring the normal facial form is one of the primary goals for the reconstructive surgeons. The history of bilateral cleft lip repair has evolved from discarding the premaxilla and prolabium and approximating the lateral lip elements to a definitive lip and primary cleft nasal repair utilising the underlying musculature. The aim of this study was to review surgical outcome of bilateral cleft lip surgery (BCLS) done at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A review of all cases of BCLS done between January 2007 and December 2012 at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital was done. Data analysis included age and sex of patients, type of cleft deformity and type of surgery (primary or secondary) and whether the cleft deformity was syndromic and non-syndromic. Techniques of repair, surgical outcome and complications were also recorded.RESULTS:A total of 39 cases of BCLS involving 21 males and 18 females were done during the period. This constituted 10% (39/390) of all cases of cleft surgery done during the period. There were 5 syndromic and 34 non-syndromic cases. Age of patients at time of surgery ranged between 3 months and 32 years. There were 24 bilateral cleft lip and palate deformities and 15 bilateral cleft lip deformities. Thirty-one of the cases were primary surgery, while 8 were secondary (revision) surgery. The most common surgical technique employed was modified Fork flap (Millard) technique, which was employed in 37 (95%) cases.CONCLUSION:Bilateral cleft lip deformity is a common cleft deformity seen in clinical practice, surgical repair of which can be a challenge to an experienced surgeon. A modified Fork flap technique for repair of bilateral cleft lip is a reliable and versatile technique associated with excellent surgical outcome.

OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study is to establish the pattern and actiology of mid-facial fractures, of patients seen and treated at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria over a 5-year period.MATERIALS AND METHODS:All cases of midfacial fractures diagnosed and treated at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos between January 2004 and December 2008 were reviewed. Data collected from case records of patients included age, sex, aetiology of fracture, anatomic site of fracture, associated maxillofacial fracture, types of treatment and postoperative complications.RESULTS:The leading cause of mid-facial fractures was road traffic crashes (RTC) which occurred in 93% of highest incidence of mid-facial fractures (36.5%) occurred in the age group of 21-30 years and the lowest in the age group of 60 years and above (2.6%); with male preponderance in nearly all age groups. Female patients were significantly younger than their male counterparts (P=0.000). The most common site of mid-facial bone fractures was the zygomatic complex (n=89, 44.5%), followed by dento-alveolar (n=26, 13%), and Le fort II (n=23, 12%). Conservative management of the fractures was employed in 2.6% (n=4) of the cases while 97.4% (n=152) of the patients required surgical, interventionCONCLUSIONS:Mid-facial fractures were most common in the 3rd decade of life; with a male-to-female ratio of 3.7: 1. Over 93% of the cases were due to road traffic crashes. Zygomatic complex was the most commonly fractured site. The fact that road traffic crashes still remain the major cause of mid-facial fracture in the studied environment is an indication that the enforcement of legislation to prevent road traffic crashes needs to be re-emphasised.

The submental / transmylohyoid intubation technique, as an alternative technique of airway management in oral and maxillofacial surgery, and its modifications, have been widely reported in the literature since it was first described by Altemir in 1986. However, the technique is not yet popular in Nigeria and Africa in general. A report of two cases in which this technique was used in orofacial reconstruction is presented here. The surgical / anesthetic outcome was satisfactory. No complication was seen in the two cases, and healing of the submental wound was uneventful. Submental intubation is a reliable technique of alternative airway management in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The submental / transmylohyoid technique should be considered by both the anesthetist and the maxillofacial surgeon in challenging cases, where an alternative airway technique is required for maxillofacial surgery.

OBJECTIVEThis study was conducted to determine the changes in blood pressure and the pulse rate of patients with controlled hypertension having dental extraction under local anaesthesia utilizing 2% lignocaine with adrenaline, and to evaluate whether these changes in blood pressure were are attributable to addition of adrenaline.METHODSThis prospective study was carried out in 33 consecutive hypertensive patients who presented at the exodontia clinic of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos, from December 2004 to August 2005 for intra-alveolar tooth extraction. Patients were randomly allocated to two groups according to the type of anaesthetic solution employed. Group A had tooth extraction done under 2% lignocaine with 1:80 000 adrenaline while group B had tooth extraction done under 2% lignocaine without vasoconstrictor (plain lignocaine). One tooth was extracted from each patient. Blood pressure and pulse rate measurements were recorded in the waiting room before surgery, in the surgery after local anaesthetic injection, during tooth extraction and 15 minutes after tooth extraction.RESULTSThe sample consisted of 20 females and 13 males age range 24 to 75 years (mean +/- SD = 50.1 +/- 11.7 years). There was no statistically significant difference between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse rate in the two groups after administration of local anaesthesia. However the highest alteration in parameters was observed during tooth extraction in the two groups.CONCLUSIONThe haemodynamic changes induced by injecting 2% lignocaine with adrenaline in patients with controlled hypertension during tooth extraction is within normal range and is not different from that induced by 2% lignocaine without adrenaline. We consider it essential that all precautions to prevent inadvertent intravascular injection be undertaken by the care provider.

AIM:To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among patients attending oral and maxillofacial outpatient clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria; and discuss the clinical and surgical implications that obesity has on the delivery of oral and maxillofacial surgical and anaesthetic care.METHODS:Consecutive patients presenting to the oral and maxillofacial surgery outpatient clinic at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria over a 4-month period (May-August 2004) were screened for age, sex, height and weight. All of the patients were treated for dentoalveolar surgical procedures (routine and surgical extractions), incisional and excisional biopsies, and enucleation under local anaesthesia.RESULTS:The BMIs of the studied patients ranged from 16.7 to 39.8 kg/m(2), with a mean of 24.6 +/- 4.5 kg/m(2). Prevalence of excess weight was 39.1%. Thirty-one (11.4%) patients were obese and 75 (27.7%) patients were overweight. A significant difference was observed in the BMIs of male and female patients (P=0.000). The age groups < 30 years had mean BMIs that were considered normal; whereas other age groups above 30 years had mean BMIs that were considered overweight. Prevalence of obesity increases with increasing age. Obese individuals were seen in all the age groups except those < 20 years.CONCLUSIONS:The prevalence of excess weight (overweight and obesity) in patients presenting in the studied oral and maxillofacial outpatient setting was 39.1%. Oral and maxillofacial surgeon needs to be aware of obesity-/overweight-related medical and surgical issues and take them into consideration when treating these patients.