**1. Introduction**

Cleft lip and cleft palate are facial anomalies and are the most common congenital anomalies that affect the orofacial region and remain a significant public health burden [1].

Orofacial clefts (CL/P) commonly affect the lip, alveolar ridge, and hard and soft palates. Problems associated with these anomalies are dental problems, malocclusion, nasal deformity, feeding, and ear and speech difficulties [2].

Thus, any difference in those structures is noticeable and may cause some difficulties in the relationship field. In fact, the face is the front by which every human being is presented and communicates with others.

In the book "bec-du-lievre" ("harelip"): Clinical Forms-Surgery (1938) of Victor Veau, the presence of a cleft lip is stated by the absence of contacts between the external muscles and the inner verge [3]. This has the effect of destabilizing the anatomy of the nose (deformation of the alar cartilages, the nasal septum, and triangular cartilages).

Such deformation causes in humans a change in its well-being, autonomy, own world, expectations, and social insertion, which are parts of the concept of "quality of life" (QoL).

The quality of life (QoL) is a complex multidimensional and subjective concept in permanent evolution. The study of QoL can be an instrument of evaluation of the daily impact of an individual with CL or CLP operated. It is an integral part of the evaluation of results as well as the satisfaction of the surgeon and that of the patient [4].

The issue of QoL is attracting increasing the interest from many researchers. It is a concept that groups together different areas of life and is strongly subject to individual experiences [5].

The QoL of a patient with a cranio-facial deformity is already influenced at birth by the impact of the disease on the newborn, the parents, and the family. The birth of a child with a cleft lip and palate raises controversial feelings among parents especially the mother. The relationship with the child is dominated by the notion of "who," which cannot be separated from "what we are." The abnormal child is not only the beloved child but also an unknown stranger. Once the diagnosis has been made, the child's removal can occur but also ownership [6].

The QoL of individuals with cranio-facial diseases is challenged throughout life, given the conditions themselves and the treatments needed to be done. In other words, age and time the frameworks in which optimal care and quality of life must coordinate perfectly. These children with CLP experience a number of psychosocial risks, including medical appointments and assessments, surgery, feeding difficulties, appearance differences, as well as the possibility of need for early special treatment, such as phonotherapy.

This otherness and especially the differences in appearance often involve varying degrees of facial scars, and dentition variations, such as missing teeth, limitation of speech, and language [7–9].

Several studies have described the psychological and social burden in children with CLP and reported that these patients have significantly more behavioral problems, as well as more symptoms of depression, and are less satisfied with their facial appearance.

In addition, the new concept of health proposes to measure the oral health of people in relation to general health and psychosocial well-being [7].

The judgment of the functional and esthetic results of surgery has always been traditionally performed by clinicians (surgeons, speech therapists, and orthodontists).

Quality of life brings together a number of distinct branches (appearance, speech, facial growth, and psychosocial interaction). In addition, the importance lies in how these different areas could change from the period of childish development to adulthood. As a result, a questionnaire for the cleft lip and palate population could be able to address areas of importance and be aware of any changes in quality of life aspects as the child matures [4].

There are very few studies that illustrate how patients feel after surgery and how they assess their quality of life [10].

To adequately measure the quality of life of patients with cleft lip and palate, an instrument showing the clinically significant scientific findings reported by the patient that specifically addresses quality of life issues in patients with cleft lip and palate is required. These are questionnaires that quantify QoL and/or other significant outcome variables (e.g., satisfaction, symptoms, and function) from the patient's point of view. The lack of a tool specific to this population with orofacial clefts has been identified as a major research gap that should be filled.

The objective of our study was to assess the quality of life of patients operated by a cleft lip or cleft lip and palate as well as the perception of quality of life of the patients perceived by their parents through a quality of life scale adapted to the age of the patients.

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and a lot.

*Quality of Life in Adolescents with Cleft Lip and Palate DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.91348*

For adolescents, nine areas were explored:

• school labor and relations with teachers, and

• relationship with the nursing staff,

This study is a monocentric cross-sectional descriptive analytical survey on a sample of 40 adolescents (25 boys and 15 girls) aged between 12 and 16 (average age of 12.53 ±1.65 years) operated with a cleft lip (CL) (n = 12) or cleft lip and palate

Patients operated on for cleft palate only were excluded from the sample. The survey was conducted at the "Opération Smile" center in Casablanca (Morocco) among patients with a cleft lip and palate treated at the center over a period of 4 months, and only one interviewer was responsible for data

The questionnaire used in the study is the VSP-A (Vécu et Santé Perçue de l'Adolescent), it is a self-administered French indicator of health-related quality of life that has been developed from the perspective of healthy and sick adolescents

Each response was rated from 1 to 5. The points were distributed as follows: 1 point for the answer that corresponded to "ill-being," 5 points for "well-being" with all the intermediate nuances. The "no answer" and "unconcerned" questions were not included in the questionnaire administered to adolescents and therefore do not

The questions corresponding to the same field were distributed throughout the questionnaire in order to limit the response bias. The questions were in the form of multiple choice answers. Five responses were received possible: never, not at all/rarely, a little/sometimes, moderately/often, much /always,

In the questionnaires given to "parents," in addition to the previous items, a sixth

**2. Patients and methods**

(CLP) (n = 28) and their parents.

**2.1 Patients**

collection.

aged 11–17.

**2.2 The questionnaire**

• relations with parents,

• energy and vitality,

• leisure and activities,

• physical well-being,

correspond to any rating.

proposal appeared: not concerned.

• relationships with friends,

• psychological well-being,

• self-esteem,
