General Dental Care for Patients with Cleft Palate

244 Habilitation of patients with cleft palate can best be accomplished when the services of the general dentist are coordinated with other health professionals, such as orthodontists, prosthodontists, oral surgeons, plastic surgeons, psychiatrists, psychologists, geneticists, speech pathologists, audiologists, and social workers, all cooperating as a team. Each member of the team aims toward maximizing normal growth and development for the patient This is accomplished by establishing an intraand extraoral environment that will assist in development of speech and mastication while improving facial aesthetics.