Objective: To evaluate and compare the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in Thai patients with cleft lip and palate
and to evaluate parents’ and their children’s perceptions.
Material and Method: Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP) questionnaire was used to evaluate OHRQoL of the patients and parents’ perceptions of patients’ OHRQoL. The subjects consisted of 140 cleft patients (aged 8-15 years) and their parents who visited the Department of Orthodontics, Khon Kaen University.
Results: COHIP scores in cleft patients were relatively high. No statistically significant differences were found for overall and
subscales COHIP scores between gender and age groups (aged 8-11 and 12-15 years) of patients. Comparison among cleft types, overall COHIP and functional well-being subscales scores showed statistically significant differences (p = 0.01 and p = 0.002, respectively). Cleft lip with or without alveolus (CL/A) had higher overall and functional well-being subscale scores than unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate patients (CLP). Only self-image subscale scores were statistically significant differences between patients and parents at p<0.001.
Conclusion: Young and adolescent patients with cleft lip and palate had generally positive oral health-related quality of life.
Impacts of gender and age of patients on OHRQoL were similar. CL/A patients had more positive in overall oral healthrelated
quality of life and functional well-being domains than CLP patients did. Parents had higher perceptions of self-image
shown by their children than the children themselves.

Keywords: Cleft lip and palate, Oral health-related quality of life, Child Oral Health Impact Profile