Effect of Prenatal Intervention on Dental Caries and Risk Factors in Children with Unilateral Cleft Lip and/or Palate in Medellín, Colombia: A Nonrandomized Controlled Clinical Trial

widespread, with its highest prevalence in socially disadvantaged groups.9,10 When complementary feeding begins at 6 months, there is a risk of developing early childhood caries associated with nighttime bottle-feeding with liquids other than water or milk.11,12 Disease prevention and early caries diagnosis should be an aspect of the interdisciplinary management of people with CL/P.Patients with CLP visit the pediatric dentist early in life, and this is an opportunity to deliver anticipatory guidance for the prevention of ECC.Oral health education alone was reported IntroductIonCleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) is a craniofacial difference that occurs prenatally. 1 In Colombia, a prevalence of 0.327 per 1000 inhabitants 2 and 1.54 per 1,000 live births has been reported.3 Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) can be diagnosed pre-and postnatally.Prenatal diagnosis often generates feelings of shock, guilt, despair, and fear in parents.4 The purpose of prenatal diagnosis of cleft palate is to educate and prepare the family to face the interventions required for the comprehensive rehabilitation of the person with CL/P.An interdisciplinary team should treat the person with CL/P and their family.The team seeks to guide the parents through this process.5 The emotions that emerge with the diagnosis can influence the ability to understand the information, contribute to the assimilation of the craniofacial difference, and encourage psychological preparation for when the child is born.4,6 This diagnosis has been increasing over the years with routine ultrasound performed between 13 and 20 weeks of pregnancy.Prenatal diagnosis with counseling can improve the psychosocial aspects of early family care as it provides parents with complete and timely information about the interdisciplinary treatment before birth.7 Children with CL/P have a higher prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC), 8 considered a rapidly developing carious lesion in the primary dentition, and can destroy the dentition.It is