Facial aesthetics and perceived need for further treatment among adults with repaired cleft as assessed by cleft team professionals and laypersons.

The objectives of this study were to compare the ratings of professionals and laypeople with and without a cleft regarding the facial aesthetics of adult patients previously treated for orofacial clefting. The necessity for further treatment, as perceived by the respective groups, is also compared. The design of the study was a cross-sectional study. Professionals (two plastic surgeons, one dentist, one orthodontist, and one psychologist) and laypeople (one male and one female adult without a cleft and one male and one female adult with a cleft) were recruited to rate photographs of 80 non-syndromic cleft patients treated by the Australian Craniofacial Unit from 1975 to 2009. Facial aesthetics were measured by a visual analogue scale (VAS; 0-100 mm). High values indicated good aesthetics. Necessity for further treatment was also measured by a VAS (0-100 mm). High values indicated high perceived need for further treatment. The professionals rated facial aesthetics significantly lower and had a lower perception of need for further treatment than the raters with and without a cleft. The laypeople with a cleft rated facial aesthetics significantly higher and had a lower perceived need for further treatment than laypeople without a cleft. The non-surgical professionals rated facial aesthetics significantly lower and had a lower perceived need for further treatment than the surgical professionals. Differences exist in the facial aesthetics ratings and perceived need for further surgery between professionals and laypeople with and without a cleft. This should be considered when managing cleft treatment expectations.

General health-related quality of life and oral health impact among Australians with cleft compared with population norms; age and gender differences.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate general health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and oral health impact among adults treated for cleft to determine age and gender differences, and to compare against population norms. DESIGN: Cross-sectional prospective study. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Nonsyndromic cleft patients treated by the Australian Craniofacial Unit from 1975 to 2009 were recruited (n  =  112). Response rate was 79% (n  =  88). Main outcome measures : HRQoL was measured by the Short Form (SF)-36 questionnaire. Oral health impact was measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP)-14 questionnaire. State-based and national norms were used for comparative purposes. RESULTS: There were no significant age or sex differences in the cleft sample's SF-36 and OHIP-14 scores. When compared against South Australian 2002 state-level norms, cleft participants scored higher on physical function and physical role function but lower on vitality and mental health. The prevalence of having experienced one or more of OHIP-14 items "fairly often" or "very often" was 2.7 times higher than national-level estimates, while extent was 2.8 times and severity 1.7 times higher. CONCLUSIONS: The oral health impact among cleft patients included in our study was poor compared with population-level estimates. The HRQoL showed mixed results, with the vitality and mental health components being poorer in the cleft group compared with population-level estimates. These results indicate that treatment for orofacial clefting does not entirely remove the factors contributing to poor HRQoL and oral health.

Gel electrophoresis: DNA Science Without the DNA!

The aim of this project is to develop a simple system for the teaching and demonstration of DNA gel electrophoresis. DNA gel electrophoresis requires the use of specialized apparatus, toxic reagents, expensive agarose gel, and DNA samples, as well as a considerable amount of valuable classroom time to complete. A systematic evaluation of suitable alternative materials and components for the simulation of DNA gel electrophoresis was undertaken. A tried and tested set of combinations is presented here for educators to use in hands-on classroom teaching, which does not require DNA, agarose, or Tris-borate-EDTA buffer. The use of common biological stains in place of DNA samples, agar-agar-based gels, and weak electrolyte solutions provides a simple, inexpensive, and highly reproducible system that is adaptable to instructional needs. The migration of multicolored bands during electrophoresis provides an intuitive, compelling demonstration of the concept of electrophoresis.