Working on the nutrition of children with cleft lip and palate

Children with cleft lip and palate often suffer from nutritional deficiencies and subsequent growth problems, both largely attributed to feeding difficulties due to the structural defect, as well as the numerous surgical procedures they undergo. The purpose of this review article is to assess the nutritional needs of these children and emphasize the role of nutrition in their long-term growth and development, along with educating parents about nutrition and various alternative feeding practices as an important aspect in the treatment of cleft lip. and palate that might otherwise go unnoticed. For this review, several articles on cleft lip and palate, from plastic surgery journals to dental surgery journals, were studied and more articles were based on subsequent literature reviews of those mentioned above. It was concluded that to achieve optimal health in these children, the dietary changes required per day were miniscule. Rather, it is the delivery method of breast milk or formula that often needs to be altered to reduce the effort and resulting caloric loss of the newborn, indirectly increasing caloric intake and resulting weight gain and growth.