Summary of the necessity of the project

Various studies have shown that parents of infants with cleft lip and palate experience psychological distress at the time of birth, which may hinder early bonding with their child and increase parental anxiety and affect quality of life. Traditional clinical assessments of cleft lip and palate interventions—behavioral, surgical, and medical—primarily focus on objective measures in patients, neglecting other aspects such as the impact on parental quality of life and anxiety. Clinicians recognize that evaluating parental quality of life and anxiety during the first year of the infant’s life provides valuable information essential for planning appropriate treatment. Given the positive effects of Nasoalveolar Molding (NAM) in reducing pre-surgical oral deformities, improving surgical outcomes, minimizing surgical scars related to traditional columella reconstruction, reducing the number and cost of revision surgeries, lowering oral fistulas, correcting nasal and lip abnormalities, and fostering family interaction with the cleft care team, its use may reduce parental anxiety and improve quality of life. To date, no study in Iran has investigated parental anxiety and quality of life in parents of infants with cleft lip and palate with and without NAM. This research represents the first Iranian study to assess and compare parental quality of life and anxiety in these two groups.

Project Manager: Dr. Samira Aghadoost
Start Year: 2025