KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION OF MOTHERS TOWARDS THE CAUSE AND MANAGEMENT OF CLEFT PALATE IN UNIVERSITY OF BENIN TEACHING HOSPITAL (UBTH), BENIN CITY

ABSTRACT

A cleft palate is an opening of the roof of the mouth and happens if the tissue that makes up the roof of the mouth does not combine totally together during pregnancy. In some infants, both the front and back parts of the palate are open, and in other infants, only part of the palate is open (Bzoch & League, 2013).A cleft-palate prevents an infant from making enough suction on the nipple to draw out breast milk from the mother or formula from a bottle. The infants with cleft palate are at hazard for poor weight gain because they utilize a great energy to feed. The Centers for disease control and prevention (2015) estimated that 7,088 infants are born each year with an orofacial cleft.The aim of this study is to examine the knowledge and perception of mothers towards the cause and management of cleft palate in University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City.The study was carried out using the descriptive survey research design. A Total of one hundred and fifty mothers attending ante-natal and post-natal clinic in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City were sampled. The purposive sampling technique was used. Data was gotten from a self-structured questionnaire to assess the knowledge and perception of mothers towards the cause and management of cleft palate in selected wards. The result from the study showed that majority (75.7%) of the respondents are not familiar with the cause of cleft palate and the sampled mothers generally have a poor knowledge as regards the management of cleft palate. This is due to the fact that their mean responses to the items in table were all less than the mean cut-off point of 3.00 which is our decision point. The study also discovered that the respondents have a negative perception towards cleft palate. The items measuring perception in table 4.4 were structured such that a high mean score of above 3.00 indicates a negative perception while a low mean score of below 3.00 indicated a positive perception. The respondents' mean responses to all six items in table 4.4 were all above 3.00, thus indicative that the respondents’ perception towards cleft palate is negative. Hypothesis tested using Chi-square statistics revealed that there is a significant relationship between thelevel of mothers’ knowledge ofcleft palate and their perception towards the cause and management of cleft palate. Hence, having the correct knowledge and perception towards the cause and management of cleft palate has a profound role in the development of cleft palate patient.