ObjectiveTo compare longitudinal speech outcomes at ages 5 and 10 years in foreign-born and Swedish-born children with cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CP ± L), and assess impact of cleft type, additional diagnosed conditions, sex, and age at completed primary palatal surgery.DesignLongitudinal, registry-based cohort study.SettingRegional public care university hospitals in Sweden.Participants723 children (143 foreign-born, 580 Swedish-born) with CP ± L.InterventionsPrimary and secondary palatal surgery, and speech-language therapy.Main outcome measuresDichotomized outcomes of velopharyngeal competence (VPC), percentage of consonants correct (PCC), and non-oral speech errors, and received secondary palatal surgery and speech-language therapy.ResultsA significantly lower proportion of foreign-born than Swedish-born 5-year-olds had VPC (75% vs. 85%, p = .007), age-appropriate consonant production (25% vs. 57% p p p = .002), age-appropriate consonant production (52% vs. 76%, p p p p < .001) than Swedish-born peers.ConclusionsLater primary palatal surgery in foreign-born children was associated with poorer speech outcomes at 10 years. Early primary palatal surgery and continued follow-up are essential to optimize speech development.
Lendt et al. (Mon,) studied this question.