Preferring naso alveolar moulding – present scenario

Background: Naso Alveolar Moulding (NAM) is an effective and successful procedure enabling the presurgical approximation of the alveolar segments to increase the overall procedural success in cleft lip/palate (CL/P) cases. Even though it has become routine at certain centers in western countries, the preference still remains evasive in India. Objectives: The study aimed at assessing the preference for NAM among the CL/P surgeons in India and evaluating the technical considerations in the fabrication of NAM appliance. The study also assessed the preference of Pedodontists in the multidisciplinary CL/P team. Methods: CL/P surgeons associated with Smile Train across India were approached for evaluating the preference of NAM in their daily practice and their opinions on the technical aspects of performing NAM were collected through the questionnaire. A total of 190 questionnaires were prepared out of which 40 were filled through direct personal interview and 150 were sent and collected via mail. The results were analyzed using NPar tests and chi square tests. Results: Among the 107 respondents, 63.6 % preferred PSIO and 59.8 % preferred NAM. Ninety two percent of the surgeons prefer NAM being done by Pedodontists and 81.3% opined that Pedodontists should be a part of CL/P team. All the results were statistically significant Conclusion: From the study we conclude that, NAM is a preferred technique in cases especially with wide clefts. The age of initiation of moulding and regular follow up adjustments are instrumental in ensuring success of NAM.