rofacial clefts are one of the most common congenital anomalies, but this disease burden is unevenly distributed worldwide. Common estimates of incidence range between one in 500 and one in 1000 live births, although the rates vary by country and by region. 1 Care for the child with an orofacial cleft requires a multidisciplinary approach, including plastic surgery, otolaryngology, dentistry, speech pathology, and social work 2 ; however, the worldwide surgical workforce is inequitably distributed. 3 Areas with increased burden of orofacial clefting and a relatively smaller surgical workforce have been the focus of philanthropic organizations Background: Orofacial clefts are one of the most common congenital anomalies, but this disease burden is unevenly distributed worldwide. The authors hypothesize that this burden falls disproportionately on the countries with the smallest surgical workforce or lowest Socio-Demographic Index, rather than those with the highest prevalence of disease. Methods: The authors estimated the prevalence and disease burden of orofacial clefting from 1990 to 2017 in 195 countries using the Global Burden of Disease methodology. Prevalence and disability-adjusted life-years were compared geographically, temporally, and against the size of the national surgical workforce, Socio-Demographic Index, and income status. Linear and logarithmic regressions were performed. Results: In 2017, the prevalence of orofacial clefting was estimated to be 10.8 million people, representing a disease burden of 652,084 disability-adjusted life-years, with most of this disease burden experienced by low-and middleincome countries (94.1%). From 1990 to 2017, there was a decrease in disease burden (-70.2%) and prevalence (-4.9%). There was negative logarithmic association between surgical workforce size and disease burden, with a surgical workforce of greater than six providers per 100,000 population (3.6 disabilityadjusted life-years versus 22.4 disability-adjusted life-years per 100,000 population; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Burden of orofacial clefting has a strong negative association with the size of the surgical workforce, suggesting that strengthening the surgical workforce will help alleviate this burden. Epidemiologic data on countries and regions with inadequate surgical workforces and high disease burden should guide future research efforts and allocation of resources, and guide the treatment and educational goals of international charitable organizations. (Plast.

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Background : Two-flap palatoplasty, which is a very common technique used including in our institution, will result in lateral palatal defects without any periosteal coverage. Faster epithelialization is expected to decrease wound contraction thus reducing scar formation, and in the long run will result in good maxillary growth. In our institution, the retrospective study showed a fair maxillary growth (mean GOSLON score=3.5). Thus, we explore possibilities to precipitate the epithelialization process in pursuit of good maxillary growth in the future.Method :This is a prospective cohort study conducted in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, on consecutive patients who underwent two-flap palatopasty from October 2010-February 2011. We followed up these patients weekly for 4 consecutive weeks to observe the rate of epithelialization of the lateral palatal defects.Result : Two-flap palatoplasty was performed in 48 patients, 23 among them were given honey as oral drops. Eighty-seven point five percent had unilateral complete cleft lip and palate and 12.5% had bilateral complete cleft lip and palate. Faster epithelialization of the lateral palatal defects post two-flap palatoplasty was significantly in!uenced by intraoral honey application on the wound as oral drops (RR 2.1, 95% CI 1.314 - 3.391, p < 0.001).Conclusion: Honey given as oral drops significantly precipitates the epithelialization process of the lateral palatal defects post two flap palatoplasty 2.1 times faster.

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Introduction Conjoined twins are a rare medical phenomenon that poses unique challenges for surgeons. Separation of conjoined twins involves multidisciplinary teamwork, complex medical management and surgical planning, and multi-stage operations and often still has a high mortality and morbidity rate. In the times of the COVID-19 pandemic, separation of conjoined twins pose even greater challenges. Aiming for the best outcome possible, while minimizing the risk of COVID transmission and ensuring the safety of the personnel, is paramount. This case report presents thoraco-omphalopagus twins who were successfully separated at 4 months of age. The preoperative planning, operative details, postoperative follow-ups, and outcomes are discussed. Methods The absence of a tissue expander and the inability to acquire it due to travel restrictions from COVID-19 further complicated the management on this patient. A Routine Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) swab test was performed on the patients and personnel. Standardized personnel protective equipment (PPE) was worn during ward and surgical care. After separation of the twins by cardiothoracic and pediatric surgeons, one twin underwent immediate skin closure using a double keystone perforator island flap and a lower abdominal perforator flap. Due to extensive defects, closure was delayed for the second twin. After a series of dressing changes, eventually local perforator flaps could be raised to close the defect using staged tension sutures and skin grafts for secondary defects. Results Both twins were discharged with no significant morbidity, and no personnel were exposed to COVID-19 infection during the management Conclusion Preoperative coordination and planning, multidisciplinary effort, adherence to screening protocols for COVID, and strict use of standardized PPE all contributed to the successful separation of thoraco-omphalopagus conjoined twins during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Tailoring mechanical properties and degradation rate of maxillofacial implant based on Sago Starch/Polylactid Acid Blend, HELIYON, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08600. This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.