The cleft seal for bottle-feeding--A report on case studies

Clefting of the lip and palate is the most frequent craniofacial malformation that occurs in newborn babies. The greatest immediate challenge facing a neonate with a cleft is to take nourishment. In developing countries and particularly in rural areas, palatal obturators and other aids that can assist in feeding are not easily available or accessible. The aim of this study was to develop, evaluate and report on the cleft seal, a simple and inexpensive device that is used with a feeding bottle to promote nourishment of a neonate with a cleft palate. The cleft seal is made of either silicone or thermoform plastic and consists of a spoon-like projection attached to a circular washer. The latter fits snugly between the teat base and collar of the feeding bottle, while the spoon-like projection forms a canopy over the teat and separates the nasal cavity from the mouth during feeding. Closure of the cleft emulates the natural feeding process and favours normal orofacial development. Results from this study indicate that there is an increase in nutritional intake over a shorter feeding time when using the cleft seal. Parents also report an absence of nasal regurgitation. The greatest advantage of the cleft seal lies in its negligible cost and ease of use, which can enable distribution and application in remote neonatal centres, where nursing and parental care givers are often at a loss as to what to do when faced with a newborn with a cleft palate.