Presurgical nasoalveolar molding in unilateral cleft lip and palate patient

Cleft lip and palate is a common congenital anomaly of the stomatognathic system. Cleft lip and palate can present with considerable variation in severity and form. These clefts, deficient in hard and soft tissue elements present a significant challenge to achieve a functional and cosmetic outcome. So it is desirable to reduce the cleft deformity prior to the surgery for optimal results. The presurgical nasoalveolar technique is a novel procedure which can be used in cleft cases to reduce the cleft deformity presurgically. The goals of presurgical nasoalveolar molding include lip segments that are almost in contact at rest, symmetrical lower lateral alar cartilages, reduction in the width of the alveolar cleft segments until passive contact of the gingival tissues is achieved. In the following case report the pre-surgical nasoalveolar molding technique was used in unilateral cleft lip and palate patient to reduce the cleft deformity prior to surgery. Improved alignment of cleft segments and nasal cartilage was achieved requiring less extensive surgery with good esthetic outcome.