Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27417108›Full record

ArticleWorld journal of surgery2016

A Model of the Unmet Need for Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Lucas C Carlson, Barclay T Stewart, Kristin W Hatcher, Charles Kabetu, Richard VanderBurg, William P Magee

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Article in World journal of surgery, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 35 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. A Comparative Study of Cleft Management in Different Economic Settings: United States Versus Guatemala.The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal : official publication of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Adapting Elements of Cleft Care Protocols in Low- and Middle-income Countries During and After COVID-19: A Process-driven Review With Recommendations.The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal : official publication of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association · 2023
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Impact of COVID-19 on Elective Cleft Surgery in Low- and Middle-income Countries.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2021
    Article
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.

Lucas C CarlsonDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 10 Vining St., Neville House-2nd Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. lccarlson@partners.org.
Barclay T StewartDepartment of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Kristin W HatcherOperation Smile Inc., Virginia Beach, VA, USA.
Charles KabetuDepartment of Anesthesiology, Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.
Richard VanderBurgOperation Smile Inc., Virginia Beach, VA, USA.
William P MageeOperation Smile Inc., Virginia Beach, VA, USA.
Operation PAR · USKenyatta National Hospital · KEMassachusetts General Hospital · USWestern Cape Department of Health · ZA

Funding

Northern/Pacific Universities Global Health Research Training ConsortiumR25TW009345 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI KOLARS, JOSEPH C., NERURKAR, VIVEK RAMCHANDRA · 2012 to 2016
$5.9M
FIC NIH HHS R25 TW009345
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is a significant unmet need for the cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) ; however, country-level estimates that can be used to inform local and international cleft care program strategies are lacking.

methodsUsing data from Operation Smile surgical programs in twelve LMICs and country-level indicators from the World Health Organization and World Bank, we developed a model to estimate the proportion of individuals with CL/Ps older than respective surgery age targets for cleft lip and cleft palate surgery (1 and 2 years, respectively). After extrapolating this model to other LMICs with available indicator data, we combined these findings with estimates of CL/P prevalence among live births to estimate the total number of unrepaired CL/P cases in LMICs worldwide.

resultsThe models were constructed from a total of 887 cases of cleft palate and 576 cases of cleft lip across the twelve countries. From these, we estimated that there are 616,655 cases of unrepaired CL/P (95 % CI 564,893-678,503) in the 113 countries with available data for extrapolation. The rate of unrepaired CL/Ps ranged from 2.5 per 100,000 population in Romania to 28.5 per 100,000 in Cambodia, respectively (median rate 10.7 per 100,000 population).

conclusionsOur model provides marked insight into the global surgical backlog due to cleft lip and palate. While the most populated LMICs have the largest number of unrepaired CL/Ps, low-income countries with relatively less healthcare infrastructure have exceptionally high rates (e.g., Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Nepal). These estimates can be used by local and international cleft care organizations to set program priorities, estimate resource requirements, and inform strategies to support cleft care.

Indexed as

Health Services Needs and DemandCleft LipCleft PalateDeveloping CountriesHumansIncomeModels, Statistical

Identifiers

PMID27417108
OpenAlexW2474490933

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.