Abstract

FLORES-MENDEZ, María S.  and  MEDINA-FLORES, Gilberto A.. Cleft lip and palate humanitarian missions in southeastern Mexico: 17 years of experience y 40 missions. Cir. plást. iberolatinoam. [online]. 2016, vol.42, n.4, pp.399-405. ISSN 1989-2055.

Our cleft lip and palate surgical missions began as a way to address the needs of the most vulnerable population in southeastern Mexico, because this anomaly occurs in 1 of 700 births in our country. This population usually has no health insurance, and few plastic surgeons in the country treat cleft lip and palate. We began our Cleft Lip and palate Clinic in the year 2000, in the city of Merida, Yucatan, at the "Dr Agustin O'Horan Hospital" of the Ministry of Health of the State of Yucatan. The name of our clinic is "Todo por una sonrisa" (A Smile is everything). The clinic works every day, continuously, and we operate on average 3 to 4 cleft lip or palate cases every week. We also have a surgical mission every year, and in the southeastern states of Mexico we have also organized 22 cleft lip and palate surgical missions. All missions have been performed in hospitals which have one or more plastic and/or maxillofacial surgeons, even if they don't have a cleft lip and palate clinic. All patients operated along 17 years of experience and 40 missions had cleft lip or palate, sequels of these, with or without other congenital anomalies.

Keywords : Humanitarian Plastic Surgery; Reconstructive Surgery; Congenital malformations; Cleft lip palate.

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