Glossary

Some common words that your Cleft Palate/Craniofacial team members may use.

Acoustic Nerve A nerve in the inner ear that sends sound information to the brain.

Allergic Rhinitis Swelling of the nasal membranes due to allergic reactions.

Alveolar Ridge The bony ridge where the teeth are held in the jaw.

Anomaly Irregularity

Anterior The front side.

Antibiotics Medicines to prevent or treat infections.

Appliance, dental A device worn in the mouth to provide a dental benefit.

Articulation The process of forming and expressing speech sounds.

Audiologist A person who holds a degree in Audiology and identifies, measures, and rehabilitates people with hearing impairment.

Audiology The study of sounds and hearing.

Auditory Brainstem

    -Response (ABR): A test that measures the response of the brainstem to sound.

Bifid uvula Uvula muscle divided into two parts.

Bilateral Pertaining  to both sides.

BMP Bone Morphogenic Protein used to fill the alveolar cleft in mixed dentition

Bone graft Movement of bone from one site to another.

Braces Orthodontic appliance attached to the teeth used to move them into a better position.

Brainstem The base of the brain.

Bridge A fixed or removable appliance  used to replace missing teeth and help maintain the corrected dental arch form.

Cheiloplasty A surgical repair of a cleft lip

Cleft Split or divided; refers to muscle, skin, or bone. 

-Bilateral cleft: affecting both sides.

-Unilateral cleft: affecting only one side.

Cleft lip Congenital deformity of the upper lip that varies from a notching to a complete division of the lip; any degree of clefting can exist.

Cleft Palate Split in the middle of the palate that may extend through the uvula, soft palate, and into the hard palate. The lip may or may not be involved in the cleft.

Cleft Palate/Cranio-

Facial Team A group of professionals involved in the care and treatment of patients having cleft lip/palate and other craniofacial malformations. Consists of representatives from some of the following specialties: pediatrics, plastic surgery, otolaryngology, audiology, speech-language pathology, pedodontics, psychiatry, orthodontics, prosthodontics, psychology, social service, nursing, radiology, genetics, and oral surgery.

Columella The front portion of the nose which divides the nostrils.

Communication An interference with a person’s ability to comprehend others or express themselves

   -Disorder (usually in verbal form).

Conductive A hearing loss caused by a problem in the middle or outer ear. Common causes include

   -Hearing Loss fluid in the middle ear or wax blocking the ear canal. It usually can be corrected with medicine or surgery.

Congenital A disease, deformity, or deficiency existing at the time of birth.

Craniofacial Involving the cranium (the part of the skull [cranio] that encloses the brain) and the face [facial].

Crossbite A dental condition where the upper teeth are behind the lower teeth rather than in front of them.

Denasality The quality of voice that lacks normal nasal resonance for m, n, or ng sounds due to insufficient nasal air flow.

Dental Arch The curved structure of the upper and lower jaws formed by the teeth in their normal position on the alveolar ridges.

Distraction Distraction osteogenesis is a way to make a longer bone out of a shorter one. After a bone

  -Osteogenesis is cut during surgery, a device called a distractor pulls the 2 pieces of bone apart slowly.

ENT Common medical abbreviation for an ear, nose and throat doctor, also known as an otolaryngologist.

Eardrum Tympanic membrane which vibrates and transmits sounds from the air to the middle ear.

Effusion Accumulation of fluid in the middle ear.

Erupt The emergence of a tooth through the gums and its supporting bone.

Eustachian tube A tube that runs from the back of the ear drum in the middle ear to the back of the throat above the roof of the mouth. It is usually closed at one end, but opens with yawning and swallowing. It allows air pressure on both sides of the ear drum to stay equal.

Expander Appliance used to widen the upper dental arch.

Expressive 

  -Language Language which is expressed

Fistula An abnormal opening. Usually referring to an abnormal opening from the mouth to the nasal cavity remaining after surgical closure of the original cleft.

Genetics The science of heredity.

Genetic inheritance The natural process by which children “inherit” their features from their parents.

Genetic counseling A study to determine issues of genetic inheritance. It includes physical exams, family histories, possibly X-rays, and chromosome testing. For parents it helps determine the possibility of having another child with a particular trait. For patients with a particular trait, it assists in determining the possibility of passing on a trait.

Gingiva Gums

Hard palate The bony portion of the roof of the mouth just behind the teeth.

Hare lip Outdated term for cleft lip.

Hearing impairment A loss in hearing, ranging from mild to complete deafness.

Heredity Characteristics and traits genetically derived from one’s ancestors.

Hypernasality A speech problem in which a person’s voice sounds too nasal. It is often caused by an opening in (or behind) the palate that lets sound move through the nose.

Hyponasality A speech problem in which a person has trouble producing nasal sounds because the voice sounds cannot move into the nose.

Impedance

   -Audiometry Hearing test used to measure air pressure in the middle ear cavity and the ability of the eardrum to function normally (tympanogram).

Incidence Frequency of occurrence.

Incisor A tooth that is located in the front of the mouth between the cuspids, usually the four front teeth. (right and left central, right and left lateral incisors).

Inferior Lower.

Inner ear The innermost part of the ear that contains the sensory end organs used for hearing and balance.

Intermaxillary

Fixation The use of elastics and/or wires to stabilize the upper to lower arches after surgery to one or both of the jaws.

IV “Intravenous”. A tube in a vein that allows food, fluids, and medicines to be passed directly into the bloodstream.

Language disorder

    -Impairment Difficulty with language comprehension or expression; an interference with the ability to communicate effectively.

Lateral Relating to the side.

Larynx The upper part of the windpipe that contains the vocal chords.

LeFort Surgery to move the upper jaw to align with the lower jaw.

Malocclusion A deviation from normal occlusion, or incorrect positioning of the upper teeth in relation to the lower teeth.

Mandible The U-shaped bone forming the lower jaw.

Maxilla The bone forming the upper jaw.

Medial In, near, or positioned toward the middle.

Middle ear The portion of the ear behind the eardrum. It contains the three small bones which transfer sound from the eardrum to the inner ear.

Mixed dentition Condition of having both primary and permanent teeth, usually between the ages of 6 and 13 years.

Mucosa A mucous membrane or the moist tissue layer that lines a body cavity, in this case, the mouth.

Multifactorial Having many factors or causes.

Myringotomy A minor surgical procedure in which a small slit is made in the eardrum to allow fluid to drain from the middle ear.

Nasal Pertaining to the nose or nasal cavity.

Nasal ala Wings of the nostrils.

Nasal emission The escape of air through the nose during the production of consonants, usually due to an incomplete seal between the cavities of the mouth and nose.

Nasal regurgitation The escape of food or fluid through the nostrils during feedings.

Nasal septum The wall of tissue that divides the nostrils.

Nasal tip

  -Reconstruction Surgical repair of the end of the nose.

Nasendoscopy A test that uses a small camera to record how the soft palate is working.

Naso alveolar A process of realigning the distorted lip & alveolar segments and shaping of the nasal

     -Molding cartilage in a newborn with cleft lip – maintained until surgical repair of the lip.

Nasopharynx The area in the back of the throat, at and above the soft palate.

Obturator A device that fits in the roof of the mouth to cover a cleft palate opening.

Occlusion The way the upper and lower teeth fit together.

Oral hygiene Care and regular cleaning of the teeth and mouth.

Oropharynx The back of the mouth and the area of the pharynx below the soft palate and above the esophagus.

Orthodontist A dentist who uses braces and other devices to correct problems with teeth and jaws.

Orthognathic Dealing with the cause and treatment of malposition of the jaws.

Otitis media Inflammation of the middle ear with accumulation of thick, mucous fluid. This is a common problem for children with cleft palate.

Otoacoustic

Emissions (OAEs) A test that records how the inner ear responds to sound.

Otolaryngologist An ear, nose, and throat doctor (ENT).

Otoscope An instrument used for visual examination of the external ear and eardrum.

Outer ear The part of the ear that is visible and the ear canal to the ear drum.

Palatal insufficiency Velopharyngeal insufficiency; the inability to control air flow through the nose and mouth (too much air enters the nose).

Palatal lift A removable plastic appliance with an extension reaching backward that lifts the soft palate.

Palate The roof of the mouth, including the front portion or hard palate, and the rear portion or soft palate (velum).

Pediatrician Physician specializing in pediatrics, the area of medicine dealing with the health and diseases of children and adolescents.

Pedodontics Pediatric dentistry; the specialty of dentistry concerned with the care of children and adolescents.

Pharyngeal Relating to the pharynx, the back of the throat.

Pharyngeal flap A surgical procedure that aids in velopharyngeal closure; a flap of skin (mucosa) taken from the back of the throat an attached to the soft palate is used to close most of the openings between the oropharynx and the nasopharynx during swallowing and speech.

Posterior Back

Premaxilla The front part of the upper jaw containing the front teeth (incisors).

PE tubes Pressure equalization tubes; tubes inserted through the eardrum to allow fluid to drain from the middle ear.

Primary teeth Baby teeth. There are 20.

Prolabium The central part of the lip attached to the premaxilla.

Prosthesis A device used to replace a missing body part, in this case teeth to maintain the upper jaw arch form and/or to aid speech function.

Pulse oximeter A wire that attaches to a person’s finger and measures the oxygen in the blood and pulse rate.

Prosthodontist A dentist who specializes in providing prosthetic appliances for oral structures.

Protraction 1 :the act of moving an anatomical part forward. 2 :the state of being protracted; especially :protrusion of the jaws.

Receptive

  -Language Language which is understood

Resonance Vocal quality associated with the vibration of air in the oral and nasal cavities.

Rhinoplasty Surgical repair of a deformed nose.

SARPE Surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion

Secondary teeth Adult teeth. There are normally 32.

Sensorineural

  -Hearing loss A hearing loss caused by a problem in the inner ear or the acoustic nerve. Common causes include genetic inheritance, aging, and constant loud noise.

Septum, nasal Dividing wall or partition between the two nasal cavities.

Serous effusion Fluid accumulation in tissue or a body cavity; usually referring to fluid in the middle ear.

Single gene

  -Inheritance A type of genetic inheritance in which a trait appears as a result of a single gene carried by one parent.

Social worker A person who provides counseling and resources to people.

Soft palate The movable part of the roof of the mouth behind the hard palate-critical for speech. The velum.

Speech/language

Pathologist A clinician who evaluates speech to diagnose and treat disorders of speech, language, and communication.

Speech defect Deviation from normal speech.

Speech therapy Treatment given by a speech therapist to help people with speech problems improve their speech. Speech therapy often involves practicing certain speech sounds and patterns.

Sphincter

   -Pharyngoplasty a surgical procedure used to channel the flow of air through the mouth by reducing the nasopharyngeal opening.

Submucous

  -Cleft Palate A cleft of the muscle layer of the soft palate with an intact layer of mucosa lying over the defect.

Superior Upper

Supernumerary An extra tooth.

-Tooth

Sutures Surgical stitches.

Syndrome A group of congenital problems that appear together in newborn babies. Syndromes may be the result of single gene or multifactorial inheritance.

Teratogen something in the environment of the embryo causing physical defects in development.

Tympanic

  -Membrane The eardrum.

Tympanometry A test that measures pressure in the middle ear and how the eardrum reacts to pressure changes. It can detect middle ear disorders and whether the Eustachian tubes are open. It can also find holes in the eardrum and show if PE tubes are working.

Unilateral one-sided.

Uvula A small soft structure that hangs down from the midline of the roof of the mouth as an extension of the soft palate. It is thought to aid in airflow control.

Velopharyngeal Pertaining to the soft palate and pharynx.

Velopharyngeal

  -Closure The closing of the nasal cavity from the oral cavity which directs air used in speech through the mouth rather than the nose. It requires interaction of the muscles in the palate and back of the throat.

Velopharyngeal

  -Insufficiency Inadequate velopharyngeal closure resulting in hypernasality (excessive flow of air through the nose); VPI.

Velum The soft palate.

Vomer The bony part of the nasal partition that separates the nose into right and left halves; it is attached to the hard palate.

VSP Virtual Surgical Planning: computer-assisted surgical planning