The Impact of Nasoalveolar Molding on Feeding Outcomes in Infants with Cleft Lip and Palate: Perceptions of Parents and Caregivers

This dataset corresponds to the quantitative data generated in the work entitled "The Impact of Nasoalveolar Molding on Feeding Outcomes in Infants with Cleft Lip and Palate: Perceptions of Parents and Caregivers”. Background/Objectives: Patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) typically experience feeding difficulties due to an abnormal communication between the oral and nasal cavi-ties, and novel therapies such as palate tissue engineering and nasoalveolar molding (NAM) are in need to improve the final outcomes. This study is aimed to assess the par-ents and caregivers perceptions on the efficiency of NAM to improve feeding in patients with CLP. Methods: 42 infants with unilateral or bilateral CLP treated with NAM at a single craniofacial unit were included in the study. Parents or caregivers completed a four item questionnaire at 3 months of age, before cheiloplasty, evaluating the effects of NAM to improve nasal regurgitation, choking, air swallowing, and feeding time using a 4 point Likert scale. Global satisfaction scores (range 4–16) were calculated. Results: NAM was well tolerated. Parents perceived notable improvements in choking (3.67±0.53), nasal regurgitation (3.62±0.58), and feeding time (3.50±0.67), while air swal-lowing showed lower scores (3.19±0.55). The mean global satisfaction score was 13.98±1.57, indicating a high perceived benefit. No significant differences were found between males and females or between unilateral and bilateral clefts (p>0.05 for all comparisons). Conclusions: Parents and caregivers reported substantial perceived im-provements in feeding following NAM therapy, supporting its role in presurgical man-agement of CLP. NAM may enhance feeding efficiency by improving oral seal, reducing regurgitation, and providing proprioceptive stimulation. Further controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings and compare NAM with other feeding interventions.