Introduction:

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is a craniofacial alteration of multifactorial etiology. The diet of children with CLP can become deficient, compromising growth and development.

Objective:

To determine the evolution of the pre- and post-surgical nutritional status and feeding practices in infants between 6 and 24 months of age, with cleft lip and/or palate who attended the “Operation Smile” Foundation Clinic from September 2020 to May 2021.

Materials and methods:

This was an observational and prospective study with an analytical component. 50 children with a diagnosis of CLP from 6 to 24 months of age were included. Nutritional status was evaluated according to National Health Ministry standards.

Results:

50 infants from 6 to 24 months were evaluated, 60% were between 6 -11 months, 64% were males, 54% came from the rural areas. 86% underwent primary lip closure and 12% cleft palate reconstruction. 88% of the children were breastfed. The pre-surgical nutritional status was adequate (94%) by weight for age indicator. Post surgery there was a significant difference of 0.927 kg for weight for height (p < 0.001), the same for weight for age (p < 0.001). For height for age, a difference of 0.8 cm was found (p=ns).

Conclusions:

The nutritional status of children with cleft lip or palate improves 4 months after reconstructive surgery for the indicators weight for age and weight for height.

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