Primary care in early cleft lip and palate rehabilitation: A dental perspective

Oro-facial clefts are among the most commonly occurring congenital defects. Surgical interventions are commonly carried out to treat these deformities. Some inadequacies however, like scarring of the nasolabial complex and multiple interventions to achieve desired results still persist. Presurgical Nasoalveolar molding (PNAM) technique can be carried out before surgical repair, to facilitate a reduction in the severity of the cleft by actively molding and repositioning the clefted alveolar segments and the associated soft tissues. This case series describes the successful rehabilitation of two unilateral mid-facial cleft babies using the PNAM technique in a step wise manner with a two year follow up.