Orthodontic treatment in cleft lip and palate team approach

Orthodontic treatment for dentofacial deformity is fundamental throughout the entire management process of cleft lip and palate. Orthodontist is one of those who are indispensable in the comprehensive multidisciplinary cleft team. Cleft lip and palate patients have unique dentofacial characteristics which makes the treatment goals and strategies different from those of other patients in different stages. For newborns with cleft lip and palate, the main treatment includes presurgical orthopedics. For patients in their primary dentition stage, the treatment mainly focuses on the prevention of bad oral habits and severe malocclusion. For those in their mixed dentition stage, the treatment mainly consists of dentition preparation for alveolar bone grafting and skeletal growth modification. For patients in their permanent dentition stage, treatment strategies include orthodontic camaflouge treatment, combined orthodontic-orthognathic approach and segmental alveolar distraction osteogenesis. In addition to routine orthodontic treatment, orthodontists should pay special attention to managing the compliance of cleft lip and palate patients with unique psychological characteristics. By summarizing the state-of-art cleft lip and palate orthodontic care in the multidisciplinary team, this review aims to involve more orthodontic clinicians to join in the modern biopsychosocial medical practice of cleft lip and palate team approach and to improve the standard of care for cleft lip and palate patients.