Analysis of the profile of patients admitted to an orofacial cleft rehabilitation service: An observational study, Cuiabá, 2005-2023.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the profile of individuals with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts from a reference service in Brazil. METHODS: This retrospective observational study with patients admitted to the Cleft Lip and Palate Rehabilitation Service at the General Hospital of Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, between 2005 and 2023, considered age group, sex, type of cleft, city and area of residence, history of surgeries, and year of admission. Data were obtained from clinical records. Descriptive analysis of the variables was performed, with absolute and relative frequencies, and binomial logistic regression, considering age <3 or ≥3 years old, gender, type of cleft, city and area of residence, with confidence intervals of 95%. RESULTS: Of the 1,417 patients analyzed, 55.7% were male, 48.2% had cleft lip and palate, 90.0% were from urban areas, 64.1% were from cities in the inland of Mato Grosso, and 57.5% had no history of previous surgeries. The profile of the patients underwent significant changes in the period studied. In the first years, individuals aged ≥3 years old (68.5%) and those with previous surgeries (61.8%) prevailed, while in the later periods, individuals under 3 years old (72.3%) and those who had no surgeries (73.2%) prevailed. CONCLUSION: The patient profile reveals a predominance of male individuals with cleft lip and palate from inland cities in Mato Grosso, residing in urban areas, and with no history of surgeries. This profile has evolved from a larger admission of older patients with prior surgery in the first years to younger patients without prior surgery in the most recent years analyzed.