Objectives This study, first in Hungary, examined the success of presurgical nasoalveolar
molding (NAM) therapy in cleft patients from a caregiver's perspective and revealed
factors that can cause inconvenience. Patients and Methods A survey-based study was
performed using a 32-item questionnaire following NAM therapy. The survey was sent
to families whose child underwent NAM therapy from 2010 until 2020 at the 1st Department
of Paediatrics, Semmelweis University. The questions focused on four main parts: socioeconomic,
origin of the cleft, difficulties of therapy, and self-assessment. Fifty-three families
received the questionnaire, 17 of them completed it. Results The mean age was 5 +/-
3.7 weeks when NAM therapy started. Fifty-eight percent of the patients were male
and 42% female. Patients are living more than 60 km from the cleft center (59%). Patients
had to make the journey between their residence and the cleft center similar to 10
to 15 times. In most cases, NAM therapy was covered by health insurance (83%). The
unilateral cleft and lip palate occurred 58%, while the bilateral were 42%. Thirty-five
percent of the patients had an allergic reaction against the adhesive, and 35% were
affected by wounds on their lips or noses. The way of feeding was variable. Seventeen
percent of the parents were able to breastfeed. In all cases, parents were satisfied
with the NAM therapy. Conclusions The present study highlighted the value of caregivers'
role in NAM therapy. The burden of care is acceptable, caregivers have high compliance,
and are determined to help the effectiveness of therapy. Limitations of this study
include a single-institute data with a small number of cases.
