Objectives: Cleft lip and palate (CLP) represents complex congenital anomalies that necessitate a comprehensive approach to care, involving multiple healthcare disciplines. The primary aim of the study is to explore the content of periodic telephone support calls between parents/caregivers of children with CLP and pediatric dentist during sustained anticipatory guidance.
Design: The qualitative analysis was conducted with the available telephonic recordings that was obtained from the STOP database. 40 recordings of 8 children were used for this study. The recorded interviews were translated and transcribed verbatim and analysed using the thematic content analysis method.
Results: The four major themes that were addressed by the dentist were the general health of the baby, oral health and development, surgery-related concerns and emotional support. It was also observed that the parents demonstrated a positive shift in oral health related behaviour significantly improving their child's oral hygiene practices.
Conclusions: The telephonic support calls offer valuable insights into the concerns and topics the parents of children with CLP are eager to discuss. These calls not only address general concerns, receiving emotional support from the professionals, demonstrate the health related behavior shift that takes place during SAG and reassures parents of their support.
Keywords: Sustained Anticipatory Guidance; cleft lip and palate; support calls.