Diagnosis, treatment, and management recommendations for cleidocranial dysplasia: A modified Delphi panel

Cleidocranial dysplasia is a rare genetic condition negatively impacting skeletal development. Clinical guidelines for patients, their family members, and clinicians on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of this disease are lacking. The aim of this study was to align expert opinion on standard of care (SoC) medical recommendations for patients with cleidocranial dysplasia, primarily for adults and children (≥2 yrs of age). A modified Delphi panel comprised of a 3-round survey was used to determine consensus among a multidisciplinary team of 13 experts with experience treating patients with cleidocranial dysplasia. Statements for Round 1 were generated from a targeted literature review and received input from a steering committee of 2 experts within the panel. Expert discussion held after Round 2 helped refine statements for Round 3; the steering committee also reviewed statements before dissemination in each round. The consensus threshold was pre-defined as ≥70% agreement or disagreement for Likert-scale statements or ≥70% of experts selecting the same response for a multiple-choice option. For statements wherein consensus was measured, 79% (n/N = 26/33), 91% (n/N = 21/23), and 100% (n/N = 12/12) of statements reached consensus, respectively, in Round 1, Round 2, and Round 3. Overall, consensus was reached on 37 SoC recommendations for patients with cleidocranial dysplasia: 9 regarding diagnosis, 24 regarding treatment and management, consisting of 7 dental/orthodontic and 17 other medical (non-dental/orthodontic), and 4 regarding care providers. The expert consensus reached in this panel informs the first comprehensive best practice guidelines for patients, their family members, and healthcare providers to diagnose, treat, and manage the dental/orthodontic and other medical complications of cleidocranial dysplasia.