CMU’s Nasoform solves Cleft Lip/Palate in New Borns
3 November 2020
Corporate Communication and Alumni Relations Center (CCARC)
0.003% or 1 in 10,000 babies born in Thailand will have a cleft lip/palate, with 2020 seeing more than 70 children born with this condition.
Chiang Mai University is successfully using Nasoform, a device that is worn by the patient after surgery to ensure the nose takes on a natural appearance and has won a national innovative prize.
Nasoform was created in collaboration within Chiang Mai University, between the Oral and Facial Restoration Center, Faculty of Dentistry; Center for Correction of Facial and Skull Disabilities, Faculty of Medicine, Unit of Intellectual Asset and Technology Transfer and in collaboration with Kuadaroon Foundation.
Nasoform is a type of splint worn in the nasal structure to prevent deformation and maintaining symmetry of the nose during the wound healing and growth. The patient’s constricted nostrils are enlarged and are reformed to closely represent a natural appearance.
Nasoform supports the nose shape with a wire frame and is held in place by an acrylic bar that is stitched to the forehead. The device is worn 1 - 2 weeks after surgery and is removed after 6 - 12 months once the nose has taken on a natural form.
With its medical team, specialists and researchers, Chiang Mai University is ready to help cleft lip/palate patients to have a happier start to life.