Cleft lip and palate care in the United Kingdom - The Clinical Standards Advisory Group (CSAG) study. Part 1: Background and methodology

Objective: To review the history of cleft care in the United Kingdom and th e rationale and methodology of a national study. Design: Descriptive overview to introduce this series of papers. Setting: Fifty National Health Service cleft teams. Patients/Participants: Two age cohorts, 5-year-olds and 12-year-olds, with nonsyndromic complete unilateral cleft tip and palate and their parents. Main Outcome Measures: Facial development and appearance, quality of bone g rafts, speech, oral health and patient/parent satisfaction. Conclusions: The case for a national assessment of cleft care is made. The methodology of the cross-sectional outcome study is described, together wit h a survey of training for recently appointed clinicians.