During the team visit to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery in January, the cleft team repeated their request for help and training in alveolar bone graft and orthodontic management. Brian Sommerlad (cleft surgeon), Caroline Mills (oral and maxillofacial surgeon from GOSH) and Chloé Rolland (orthodontist from Adenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge) spent a week in Dhaka in August, providing training and education in cleft care. 

Children born with a cleft which involves the upper jaw as well as the lip should have a bone graft, ideally at about 8-10 years at the correct stage of their development. 

During this visit, patients were selected for alveolar bone grafts in consultation with the orthodontist. Caroline Mills then delivered a lecture on the surgical procedure to the Bangladeshi cleft team. Next, the operation was performed by Caroline Mills with Dr Md Rabiul Karim Khan (Papon) assisting before Papon took over, under direct supervision from Caroline Mills. The team was also taught about post-operative care and follow up.

The photo below shows Caroline, Chloé and Papon doing their morning ward round, with one of the patients on whom they operated the day before.

CLEFT would like to thank the Emirates Airline Foundation for providing the flights for Caroline and Chloé to travel to Bangladesh.