About one in every 600 births results in a child with clefts of the lip or palate; in fact, facial clefts are now one of the most common birth defects in the U.S. Children with facial clefts have various interrelated problems involving the brain; the development of the skull and facial bones; the structure of the ear and the ability to hear; the teeth and the ability to chew and eat; and the mouth and nose and the ability to breathe and speak. Reconstruction must be staged with the child's growth in order to restore the facial skeleton and functionality as completely as possible.

Shriners Hospital for Children � Chicago has been treating children with cleft lip and palate for more than 35 years. This program is currently being expanded as part of a pilot for national ShrinersHospitals cleft lip and palate program. In November 2005, cleft lip and cleft palate was approved to be part of the overall system�s mission.

The program uses the team model approach, in concert with the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association protocol for meeting the standards for quality of care. Team members include experts in:

• Plastic and reconstructive surgery
• Ear, nose and throat surgeons
• Speech therapy
• Audiology
• Psychology
• Dentistry
• Orthodontics
• Prosthodontics
• Radiology
• Genetics
• Pediatrics

Patients are typically identified and assessed soon after birth. Treatment is a long-term commitment, often requiring interactions with patients several times a year up until and through a patient�s 18th birthday. Most of these interactions can occur on an outpatient basis, and new telemedicine capabilities being approved for the Shriners Hospital in Chicago will be a valuable tool for seeing long-distance patients who only require a screening or minimal check-up visit.

Each child is evaluated by the team of professionals who will coordinate the child�s treatment from birth through adolescence.