Monitor children throughout from birth to adulthood
On March 26th, the Center for Treatment of Clefted Ox and Mouth - Hanoi Children's Hospital officially went into operation, marking an important step in improving the quality of care and treatment for this special group of pediatric patients.
According to BSCKII, BSNT Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, Head of the Center for Treatment of cleft lip and palate, previously, the treatment of this defect depended heavily on international organizations, was time-sensitive, not continuous and lacked comprehensiveness. Children are mainly operated on in batches, without proper dental care, language therapy or adequate cosmetic intervention.
With the establishment of the center, it will provide comprehensive treatment services for children with cleft lip and palate from the infancy to adulthood. At the same time, develop training, scientific research and expand international cooperation in this field.
Accordingly, right from the infancy stage, children are orthopedized before surgery with specialized instruments to reduce the degree of defects, creating favorable conditions for subsequent interventions. Lip and palate surgeries are performed according to international standard protocols.
When the child is older, the treatment process continues with interventions such as cavity bone grafting, dental correction, language therapy and maxillofacial orthopedic surgery, lip-nose aesthetics to maximize function and appearance recovery.
Dr. Ngo Quang Hung, Director of Hanoi Children's Hospital, Chairman of the Hanoi City Pediatrics Association, said: "The highlight of the Center is the application of a comprehensive, inter-specialized treatment model, monitoring throughout from the newborn stage to adulthood.
Instead of just performing individual surgeries as before, children will be intervened according to a methodical roadmap, combining many specialties such as plastic surgery, dental correction, speech therapy, auditory medicine, psychology and nutrition".
Developing specialized techniques
In particular, the Center focuses on developing specialized cosmetic surgery techniques such as 3D jawbone reconstruction, jawbone stretching, structural nose reconstruction, microfacial fat grafting to maximize functional and aesthetic improvement for pediatric patients.
The center is organized with a synchronous outpatient and inpatient treatment system, including specialized functional rooms such as surgery examination, dentistry, language therapy, auditory measurement, nutritional counseling and a psychological support play area for children. The operating room system meets standards, ready to handle complex cases with the coordination of resuscitation specialists.
Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hung, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Health, said that the opening of the Center for Treatment of cleft lip and palate is not simply a professional event, but also a specific action to implement important resolutions of the Central Government and Hanoi City, especially Resolution 72 of the Politburo and Action Program No. 06 of the Hanoi Party Committee.
Not only serving pediatric patients in Hanoi, the Center also aims to expand its service scope to the entire northern region, across the country, and in the future may become an international cooperation address in the field of cleft lip and palate treatment" - Dr. Hung said.
The establishment of the Center is a step to concretize Action Program No. 06 of the Hanoi City Party Committee and implement Resolution No. 72 of the Politburo on developing a high-quality health system.
In the orientation of specialized medical development of the capital, the Center for Treatment of Clefted Ox and Mouth, Hanoi Children's Hospital is expected to become a pioneer unit, providing comprehensive treatment services, meeting international standards right in the locality.
After a pilot implementation period from September 2025, the Center has received and treated nearly 900 cases, with many complex cases successfully intervened. Many pediatric patients have had clear changes in function and appearance, gradually confidently integrating into the community.
In parallel with treatment, the Center also focuses on long-term monitoring, assessing hearing, language and psychological support for children. Many complex cases have been successfully intervened, helping children significantly improve their functions and appearance, and confidently integrate into the community.
