[Orthodontic and orthophonic neonatal guidance in facial cleft]. / Guidance orthognathique et orthophonique néonatale en cas de fente faciale.

Babbling, which prepares pronunciation, the first articulatory movements and the most important 'imitation-interchange mechanism' with the parents, appears as early as age 3 months. According to the method that we proposed in Toronto in 1977, the soft palate is closed at age 3 months, whereas the hard palate remains open till 6 months of age. We think now that the fact of allowing the timely development of these primordial functions by provisional closure of the hard palate with a thin palatal plate and by parental guidance as early as 3 months of age should bring about additional progress.

[Precocity of the means of expression in newborn infants. Aplea for early surgery of the velum palatinum]. / La précocité des moyens d'expression du nouveau-né. Plaidoyer pour la chirurgie précoce du voile du palais.

It should be stressed not only that every functions are available at an early age but also that there is a critical period during which they should be established and developed. That is obvious for suckling, sight, hearing and for speaking too Newborn infants are capable of gestual expression during the very first days of life and are capable of performing glottal stops at 6 weeks of age and simple posterior articulatory at 3 months of age. At 6 months, the infant will use repetitive simple anterior and posterior articulatory movements. Thus, reparing velum at 3 months and reparing hard palate and lip at 6 months is logical and produce spontaneous good speech. Later the infant will be operated, longer be will keep glottal stops may be incorrigible. Late development of speech and language will trouble their perfect integration.

[The brevity of the acquisition period of phonemes. Arguments for the early treatment of maxillo-palatal clefts]. / Brièveté de la période d'acquisition des phonèmes. Arguments pour le traitement précoce des fentes maxillo-palatines.

Very early, the new-born no more listen the phonemes which are not used around him. In the same way, he does not listen the phonemes impossible to pronounce by himself, because he is not concerned. He does not engrave then. Consequently, we must give him, quickly, complete anatomical means of pronunciation, and train him by early intensive imitation-interchange mechanism. For those two reasons, we propose to complete immediately the early surgical reparation of the soft palate by a thin obturating plate and by an early orthophonic parental guidance.

[Oblique oval deformation of the upper dental arch and arciform deviation of the face in unilateral cleft lip]. / Déformation oblique ovalaire de l'arcade supérieure et déviation arciforme de la face des fentes unilatérales

Abnormal muscular equilibrium due to unilateral cleft-lip is responsable for deviation of the center of the face and of the outline of the upper lip towards the healthy side. This deviation is constant but is variable in intensity. By taking precautions in the neonate it can be attenuated, particularly by orientation of the bottle. The degree of perfection of muscular suturing in the region of the nasal threshold is the basis of reestablishment of early normal muscular equilibrium. The quality of the primary treatment decreases the degree of importance of facial sequelae but risks aggravating the contraction of the upper lip if not followed-up pre- and post-operatively with orthodontic treatment.

[Echodactyly syndrome, ectodermic dysplasia, facial cleft, and EEC syndrome : report on 12 cases (author's transl)]. / Douze observations du syndrome ectrodactylie. Dysplasie ectodermique. Fente faciale, syndrome E.E.C.

Twelve cases of a rare syndrome are reported. Findings included a facial cleft, adactyly of the 2nd and 3rd fingers and 2nd and 3rd toes, and ectodermic dysplasia involving anodontia, hypotrichosis, and albinoid type pigmentation of the skin and the exoskeleton, with clear eyes and chronic conjunctivitis. An interesting finding was that the anodontia affected the permanent teeth only, initially involving the incisors and the second premolars (nine cases out of twelve). Inversely, the deciduous teeth were unaffected, except for the upper first molars in two cases. The canines, usually constantly present, were absent in two out of three cases.

An epidemiological and genetic study of facial clefting in France. I. Epidemiology and frequency in relatives.

The frequencies of cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL(P)) and isolated cleft palate (CP) have been estimated in France to be 0.082% and 0.035%, respectively, after exclusion of malformation syndromes. A genetic and epidemiological study has been carried out on 468 patients with CL(P) and 163 with CP. The results are given in detail and some specific points are discussed: the apparently low incidence in France, the relationship between sex ratio and abortion rates, the maternal effects, and the possibility of an association between CL(P) and CP.