Neurodevelopmental and Academic Outcomes in Children With Orofacial Clefts: A Systematic Review

Abstract

CONTEXT: Children with orofacial clefts (OFCs) are reported to have worse neurodevelopmental outcomes than unaffected peers, although study methodologies and findings are highly variable and trends in outcomes by age remain unexplored. OBJECTIVE: To examine the strength of the evidence and explore trends in neurodevelopment by age. DATA SOURCES: A systematic review was conducted of studies published from January 1, 1980, through November 3, 2017. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were independently screened by the authors and included in the review if they met predetermined eligibility criteria: (1) children and/or youth (<25 years) with OFCs were studied, and (2) neurodevelopmental or academic outcomes were included. DATA EXTRACTION: The authors independently evaluated study quality and extracted outcome data. RESULTS: Thirty-one studies involving 10 143 patients with OFCs and 2 017 360 controls met eligibility criteria. Although the quality of the studies varied, patients with OFCs consistently performed worse than their peers on neurodevelopmental and academic measures. In infancy, differences were observed on multiple developmental outcomes (eg, cognition, motor skills, and language), and in later childhood and adolescence, differences were manifest on several indicators of academic achievement (eg, use of special education services, grades, and scores on standardized measures). LIMITATIONS: Heterogeneity in study designs, methods, and outcomes prevented statistical pooling and modeling for meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Children with OFCs exhibit neurodevelopmental and academic deficits compared with their unaffected peers. Although the nature of these deficits changes with development, differences are observed from infancy through adolescence. Clinicians should monitor neurodevelopment in children with OFCs and support them appropriately.