Abstract
Background Cleft lip and palate (CLP) impact nasolabial appearance, influencing the physical,
psychological, and quality of life (QoL) of affected individuals. Evaluations of the
nasolabial aesthetics by patients and medical professionals (both experienced and
inexperienced) are critical for enhancing patient care.
Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 32 patients aged 16 to 20 years with CLP who
underwent continuous treatment at a university hospital in Thailand. Participants
were asked to complete the Thaicleft QoL questionnaire for nasolabial aesthetic self-assessment
and had their two-dimensional facial images captured and then evaluated by two groups
of medical evaluators: four experienced and four inexperienced professionals. Data
are presented as means and percentages, with analysis including standard deviations,
Cronbach's α for evaluator consistency, kappa for interrater reliability, and the
Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare aesthetic judgments between the experienced and
inexperienced medical evaluators.
Results Among the 32 patients, 19 (59.37%) were females, and 22 (68.75%) had unilateral CLP
and 10 (31.25%) had bilateral CLP, all reporting high nasolabial aesthetic satisfaction.
Inexperienced evaluators assigned higher aesthetic scores than their experienced counterparts
(p = 0.01), with statistically significant agreement among inexperienced evaluators
in their assessments (p < 0.05). Both group of evaluators demonstrated high reliability in terms of the lip.
Conclusion Experienced evaluators assigned lower aesthetic scores than inexperienced evaluators
did. The patients themselves expressed high levels of satisfaction with their nasolabial
appearance, indicating that the treatment outcomes were favorable from the patients'
perspective.
Keywords
evaluation - nasolabial appearance - cleft lip and palate - Thailand
