• Pediatric Medicine
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery/Craniofacial Surgery
• Nursing
• Clinical Psychology
• Speech-language Pathology
• Otolaryngology
• Audiology
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Orthodontics
• Maxillofacial Prosthodontics

The University of Florida Craniofacial Center's interdisciplinary team approach consists of many specialists working together to provide the best possible integrated care. Our team consists of health professionals from pediatrics, plastic and reconstructive surgery, clinical psychology, speech-language pathology, otolaryngology, audiology, nursing, pediatric dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and maxillofacial prosthodontics. Other specialties who are available for consultation to the team include genetics, neurosurgery, ophthalmology and specialists in education.

Pediatric Medicine
The Center's pediatrician and pediatric nurse practitioner are interested in the special needs of children with facial differences. They monitor the child's growth and development and help address any feeding or nutrition concerns. One of their key roles is to develop a comprehensive clinical impression incorporating health, developmental and psychosocial domains. The pediatric team's goal is to provide health promotion, illness prevention, and screening for existing health problems common to children with craniofacial malformation through physical and developemental screening, education of the patient, family, and health care staff and identification of resources within the family and community.

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery/
Craniofacial Surgery
The evaluation and surgical treatment of children with cleft lip, cleft palate and velopharyngeal incompetence accounts for the majority of our patients. These children frequently require secondary operations in order to refine facial aesthetics and correct malocclusion. Major craniofacial conditions such as craniosynostosis, Crouzon's disease and hypertelorism are managed with neurosurgery faculty. Cranial molding is conducted in conjunction with orthotics.

Nursing
UFCFC's nurse is interested in the general health of the child. Key roles include coordinating appointments and referrals for patients, providing information of care before and after surgery about feeding strategies. The nurse helps families access resources such as Children's Medical Services for financial assistance as needed.

Clinical Psychology
The UF Craniofacial Center's psychologist provides consultation to parents and children regarding normal child development. For children with facial disorders, consultation is also available to help the child and family cope with the disorder and the required medical treatment. Additional diagnostic assessment is available for the evaluation of emotional, cognitive and behavioral problems or concerns.

Speech-language Pathology
The role of the speech-language pathologist is to evaluate how well the patient is able to communicate. At a very early age we are interested in the child's language development, both receptive and expressive language skills. We evaluate, with the parent's help, how the child responds to speech and what kind of sounds or words the child is producing. The inability to make certain sounds my be the result of abnormalities of certain oral, nasal, pharyngeal structures.

Not all children who have a cleft lip/palate or other facial disorder will need speech therapy. For those who do our goal is to begin therapy as early as practical and beneficial to the child. The objective is to eliminate as many of the speech problems as possible before the child enters school.

Some speech problems, such as consistent hypernasality and loss of air through the nose, require special instrumentation such as videofluoroscopy (x-ray) and fiberoptic nasendoscopy (small scope inserted into the nose) to enable the speech pathologist to fully diagnose the problem and identify a treatment plan.

Otolaryngology
The University of Florida otolaryngology team is particularly concerned with the health and function of children's ears and the control of otitis media. Chronic middle ear infection (otitis media) can impair the development certain speech and intellectual skills. If ear and hearing rehabilitation is to have maximum benefit, it needs to begin before six months of age. Our efforts focus on early restoration of normal hearing and preventing middle ear infections from progressing to more serious problems.

Audiology
Because of the high incidence of hearing loss associated with cleft palate and other craniofacial anomalies the UF Craniofacial audiologist is concerned with prevention, early detection and intervention. As hearing impairment is often episodic routine hearing evaluations are desirable which include various measures of hearing sensitivity and ear function.

Pediatric Dentistry
The Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Florida provides dental care to children with cleft lip and palate and other craniofacial anomalies. These services include: (1) preventive dentistry through diet counseling, oral hygiene instructions and fluoride therapies; (2) restorative dental treatment to restore decayed, injured or malformed teeth; (3) prosthodontic replacement of missing teeth with transitional fixed or removable partials; and (4) preventive or interceptive orthodontic care through identification, referral or treatment of orthodontic problems at an early age.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
The UF Craniofacial Center's oral and maxillofacial surgeon specializes in the diagnoses of oral diseases and reconstruction of the face and jaws. This includes treatment for skeletal malformations which may be congenital, developmental, syndromic or traumatic. Some of the procedures include orthognathic surgery, alveolar cleft bone grafting, extraction of teeth and the placement of dental implants.

Orthodontics
Orthodontics is a discipline in dentistry that is involved with the diagnosis and treatment of positional and growth problems involving the teeth and jawbones. The Center's orthodontist collaborates with other team members to formulate the nature and sequence of treatment which will achieve optimal esthetic and functional results for the individual after facial growth and treatment is completed. To achieve these goals certain considerations are made to integrate treatment in a timely manner with the dynamics of ongoing craniofacial growth and development during the younger and adolescent years. Treatment may begin during the primary dentition (baby teeth) although most of orthodontic care begins after the permanent teeth have evolved. Maxillofacial Prosthodontics Occasionally patients, children and adult, with speech and/or swallowing problems related to velopharyngeal insufficiency are not candidates for intraoral surgery or they do not wish to undergo surgery. Many of these patients can benefit from an oral prosthesis such as a palatal lift or a speech-bulb obturator. In these cases the UF Craniofacial Center's prosthodontist works closely with the other team members, particularly the speech-language pathologist, in order to obtain maximum improvement in the patient's speech and resonance quality.

Maxillofacial Prosthodontics
Occasionally patients, children and adult, with speech and/or swallowing problems related to velopharyngeal insufficiency are not candidates for intraoral surgery or they do not wish to undergo surgery. Many of these patients can benefit from an oral prosthesis such as a palatal lift or a speech-bulb obturator. In these cases the UF Craniofacial Center's prosthodontist works closely with the other team members, particularly the speech-language pathologist, in order to obtain maximum improvement in the patient's speech and resonance quality.