Welcome to Bangladesh Craniofacial Foundation
President
Prof. Dr. Syed Shamsuddin Ahmed
President, Bangladesh Craniofacial Foundation
Ph.D. (Plastic Surgery) Japan
D.T.M. (Plastic Surgery) Japan
MBBS. Mymensingh Medical College
Former Professor & Head of Department of
Burn & Plastic Surgery Unit, Dhaka Medical College Hospital
Ex-Director, Microsurgical Research Yale University, USA
Former Fellow, Kleinert Institute for Hand & Microsurgery, USA.
Vice President
Prof. Dr. M A Samad
Vice President, Bangladesh Craniofacial Foundation
D. L.O. (Otolaryngology & Head Neck Surgery)
MBBS. Rampur Medical College
Senior Consultant, Specialized ENT Hospital of SAHIC
Society for Assistance to Hearing Impaired Children
Mohakhali Health Complex, Dhaka-1212
ENT and Head Neck Surgeon
General Secretary
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aslam Almehdi
General Secretary, Bangladesh Craniofacial Foundation
Ph.D. (Periodontal Plastic Surgery) Tokyo, Japan
M.S. (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery & Medicine) Korea
B.D.S. (DDC & Hospital, University of Dhaka) Dhaka
FIAOO (UK), FICD (USA), Postdoc (Australia)
Delta Medical College & Hospital Dental Unit
Periodontal Plastic & Maxillofacial Surgeon
Our Team
Who We Are
Bangladesh Craniofacial Foundation
Bangladesh Craniofacial Foundation is a multi-specialty humanitarian foundation devoted to the patients in Bangladesh. It was founded on 30th December 2022 in Dhaka, Bangladesh and it is a non-profit organization. All members are doctors and permitted to Surgeons (Plastic Surgeons, ENT Surgeons, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons). We aim to educate other health care professionals to increase awareness for earlier diagnosis and treatment. Lastly, we train other surgeons in the latest techniques to advance surgical care for the patients with craniofacial defects.
Bangladesh Craniofacial Foundation is dedicated to promoting research and training to improve methods of prevention and correction of craniofacial abnormalities and other deformities. Bangladesh craniofacial foundation wants to do so much more than simply raise awareness what we want to accomplish is to support research and contribute to the enhancement of skills, knowledge, and
best practices. All of these efforts combined will have a significant effect on a child suffering from conditions like cleft lip and palate, metopic, unicornal and sagittal synostosis, Pierre Robin and Apert syndrome, and other similar abnormalities.
Patient Information
ABOUT CLEFT LIP AND PALATE
Cleft lip & palate is one of the most common birth defects in Bangladesh and affects more than 6000 children in the country. Unless treated cleft lip & palate can interfere with feeding, speech development and hearing. Cleft lip & palate are birth defects that happen while a baby is developing in the uterus. During the 6th to 10th week of pregnancy, the bones and tissues of a baby’s upper jaw, nose, and mouth normally come together to form the roof of the mouth and the upper lip. If the tissue in the developing mouth and the palate don’t fuse together, a baby could be born with a condition called cleft lip & palate. The palate is the roof of the mouth and has two main parts. The front part behind the teeth is hard and the back part near the throat is soft. In babies with cleft palate, there is an opening between the roof of the mouth and the nose. This opening may be only through part of the palate (either the soft part or hard part) or through the entire palate. A complete cleft palate occurs when the left and right sides of the roof of the mouth have not fused together in the middle. In many cases, a baby born with a cleft palate also has a cleft lip.
CAUSES CLEFT LIP & PALATE
We don’t know exactly why a baby develops cleft lip or cleft palate, but believe that it may be a combination of genetic (inherited) and environmental factors (like medications or vitamin deficiencies). Both mothers and fathers can pass on a gene or genes that cause cleft palate or cleft lip. A mother’s exposure to certain chemicals may also cause clefting. Not getting the right nutrients may increase a child’s risk of being born with a cleft ? for example, if the mother has a lack of folic acid in her diet. Finally, smoking cigarettes and use of drugs and alcohol during pregnancy increases the risk that a baby will be born with birth defects. Research has shown that moms who binge drink (drinking five or more drinks on one occasion) during the first weeks of pregnancy have a higher risk of having a baby with a facial birth defect such as cleft lip or cleft palate.
TREATMENT OF CLEFT LIP & PALATE
In most cases, the clefts can be repaired beginning within the first few months of life. A cleft palate team includes the following specialists: Plastic Surgeons, ENT Surgeons and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons who have been treated for cleft lip or palate and have had a different experience. Today, most people born with cleft palates have surgery to close the hole in the roof of the mouth and reconnect the palate muscles between 9 and 18 months of age. This lessens the effects of the cleft palate on their speech development. People with a complete cleft lip & palate will need several surgeries to repair the cleft. These include cleft lip repair, cleft palate repair, and a bone graft to the upper jaw to close the bone gap in the gum area. In some cases, further surgery may need to be done on the palate or in the throat to improve speech. People with cleft lip or palate may spend a lot of time at the Dental Specialist and Orthodontist when they’re kids. Hearing tests to check for hearing problems and speech therapy to improve speech skills and patterns are often part of treatment, too.
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