



Welcome to Bangladesh Craniofacial Foundation

President
Prof. Dr. Syed Shamsuddin Ahmed
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
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

Vice President
Prof. Dr. AFM Saiful Alam
PhD (Surgery, Japan), Post-Doctoral Fellow (Japan)
MBBS Mymensingh Medical College & Hospital
Former Professor & Head of Department of Surgery
Burn, Plastic, hand, Cosmetic, Wound & Oncogen Surgeon
Gulshan, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh

General Secretary
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aslam Almehdi
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

Treasurer
Dr. Sanjir Howlader
BDS (DU), PGT (OMS), Dhaka Dental College & Hospital
PGT (0MS) BIRDEM Hospital in Dhaka
CPR Dhaka Medical College & Hospital
Asthetics Dentistry & Endodontics (Manual & Rotary)
Fellow of International Congress of Oral Implantologist (USA)
Orthodontics International Fellowship of Micro Endodontics (ODONTOS)

Executive Member
Prof. Dr. Ruhul Amin
BDS (DU), DAND, DDS (DU), MS Dhaka Dental College & Hospital
Ex-President, Bangladesh Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAMOS)
Councilor, International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (IAMOS)
Councilor, Asian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAMOS)
Ex-Professor & Head, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Dhaka Medical College & Hospital

Executive Member
Dr. Ahmed Ashrafuzzaman
MBBS, PGT Sylhet Medical College & Hospital
Post Graduate, Family Medicine
Specialist in Diabetes & Metabolism
Ex-Consultant, Sylhet Medical College & Hospital
Ex-Consultant, Dhaka Medical College & Hospital
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.
Working for Brighter Future of Children in Rural Area of Bangladesh
Aslam Almehdi, Syed Sumsuddin Ahmed
A brighter future for children in rural Bangladesh involves integrated early childhood development through community health programs, quality inclusive primary and secondary education, and skill-based training for adolescents, as championed by initiatives from organizations like Unicef and the World Bank. Support for these efforts comes from government programs, international organizations, and NGOs that provide educational resources, vocational skills, and opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship, especially for vulnerable and marginalized youth. Our commitment to present a “bright future” to the children by building a developed and prosperous Bangladesh, free from hunger, poverty and illiteracy.
We have been working with a target to give the children a bright future by building a developed and prosperous Bangladesh as dreamt by Our Nation. Expressing our commitment to serve the people until her last breath, she said that she had a desire to turn the country into a suitable abode for the next generation. Members of the cabinet, cabinet secretary, chiefs of three services, senior political leaders of the, government officials, teachers of different educational institutions attended the function. Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world. With extreme poverty and high unemployment in the rural regions, along with an increasing number of natural disasters due to climate change, many families are migrating to the larger cities in the hope of creating a better future there.
Life in the cities is a fight for survival. There are 1.5 million children who come from the most deprived conditions currently living on the streets of Dhaka, Mymensingh and Rajshahi. They try to make a living collecting rubbish, dealing drugs, working in the red light district or with petty crime. According to Caritas Bangladesh, 82% of the city’s street children do not attend school. Founded 50 years ago, Caritas Bangladesh has always supported efforts to help children and young people from precarious regions in Dhaka.
Over the next two years, this project will focus on providing support for the 3,670 children and young people who attend the nine street children centers. This involves protecting them against exploitation and abuse, providing medical care and educational opportunities. The children are given hot meals and able to use the facilities for showering. An important part of this work is the lobbying and networking with legal aid organizations and political decision-makers to further strengthen the rights of the child and provide better protection.

Partners



