Descriptive Overview of Primary Cleft Palate Surgeries in the Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To increase access to high-quality and multiregional databases in global epidemiology of cleft surgeries through partnership with an NGO. DESIGN: The study retrospectively analyzes 34 801 primary palate surgeries in 70+ countries from the 2016 electronic health records of an non-governmental organization (NGO). The study also utilizes the Kids' Inpatient Database to compare the epidemiology of primary cleft palate surgeries in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: Patient records of those undergoing primary cleft palate surgeries only. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Region, age, sex, type of cleft, laterality of cleft. RESULTS: Key findings show that average age of those receiving primary cleft palate surgery in the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) was 1.95 years. The distribution of males and females receiving surgery corresponds to the US national data. More hard cleft palates were on the left side (66.18%) than the right side (33.82%), independent of gender and region. CONCLUSIONS: Databases from an established NGO can be used to enhance our understanding of the disease characteristics in these regions. By increasing the information available regarding cleft surgeries in the LMIC, we hope to increase awareness of the similarities and differences in surgeries across various regions, as part of an effort to inform the goals set by Global Surgery 2030 initiative by the Lancet Commission.