Optimized Strategies for the Orthodontic Management of Cleft Lip & Palate

Drawing from more than 25 years of his clinical and research experience in the field of craniofacial orthodontic care for individuals with cleft lip and palate, the speaker will discuss orthodontic biomechanical strategies, their foundational basis, appliance design, outcomes and long-term expectations. Orthodontic treatment for cleft lip and palate can be long and cumbersome and there are many overt and occult burdens of treatment that the affected individuals and their families bear. It is thus not only prudent but also incumbent upon the orthodontist to select the treatment options and strategies that can provide favorable outcomes at the point of treatment, keeping the final goal in mind and also avoid solutions that may unnecessarily increase the already great life burden that affected individuals carry in their craniofacial battle.