Simplified Nasoalveolar Moulding Technique for Treatment of Infants with Cleft Lip and Palate

Objective: To report a simplified technique for nasoalveolar moulding for treatment of infants with unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate.Patients and Methods: One or 2 stents made of plastic cobalt-chrome orthodontic wires 0.8-mm thick were used with a conventional palatal plate (Hotz plate) to treat 7 patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate and 3 with bilateral cleft lip and palate.Results: This modified technique for nasoalveolar moulding permitted the nose of patients with unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate to be easily and precisely moulded. This technique also reduced stress for the patients and their parents because it did not require extraoral appliances, except for surgical tape over the cleft lip. Time-consuming adjustments of the nasal stent were also unnecessary.Conclusion: The wire nasal stent facilitated nasoalveolar moulding before cheiloplasty for unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate.