Download the Americleft Study Guide.

The Americleft Outcomes Project

In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report¹ emphasizing the need for, and benefits of collaborative, inter-center outcomes research. In 2006, responding to this need, ACPA established the Task Force on Americleft, modeled after the successful 1992 Eurocleft study^2-6. To date, Americleft has successfully completed outcome comparisons between five major North American multidisciplinary cleft-craniofacial centers in areas of dental arch relationship, skeletal morphology and naso-labial appearance. As early as the spring of 2007, the Americleft group began to report findings at the ACPA annual meeting. For the past two years, the group has conducted one hour ‘eye-opener’ training sessions and a 90-minute panel presentation on preliminary findings and the value of collaborative intercenter research.

Most importantly, Americleft has also established methods and the infrastructure to determine valid and reliable outcome measures. The Americleft project is expanding outcomes research into surgery, speech, and psychology, and has grown to involve the collaboration of ten cleft/craniofacial teams in North America.

Professionals interested in conducting inter-center collaborative outcome studies, as well as those interested in the history and goals of Americleft are invited to download the Americleft Study Guide.

ACPA's Task Force on Americleft is chaired by Ross E. Long, Jr., DMD, MS, PhD.

Citations

1. World Health Organization: Global strategies to reduce the health-care burden of craniofacial anomalies. Report of WHO meetings on International Collaborative Research on Craniofacial Anomalies. WHO Human Genetics Programme, 2002.
   
2. Shaw WC, Asher-McDade C, Brattstrom V, et al.: A six-center international study of treatment outcome in patients with clefts of the lip and palate: part 1. principles and studydesign. Cleft Palate Craniofac J 29:393, 1992.
   
3. Shaw WC, Dahl E, Asher-McDade C, et al.: A six-center international study of treatment outcome in patients with clefts of the lip and palate: part 5. General discussions and conclusions. Cleft Palate Craniofac J 29:413, 1992.
4. Mølsted K, Asher-McDade C, Brattstrom V: A six-center international study of treatment outcome in patients with clefts of the lip and palate: part 2. Craniofacial form and soft tissue profile. Cleft Palate Craniofac J 29:398, 1992.
5. Mars M, Asher-McDade C, Brattstrom V: A six-center international study of treatment outcome in patients with clefts of the lip and palate: part 3. Dental arch relationships. Cleft Palate Craniofac J 29:405, 1992.
6. Asher-McDade C, Brattstrom V, Dahl E, et al.: A six-center international study of treatment outcome in patients with clefts of the lip and palate: part 4. Assessment of nasolabial appearance. Cleft Palate Craniofac J 29 :490, 1992.