It also enables health professionals and scientists to determine which treatments and operations give the best results, and which groups of patients are most likely to benefit.
Research paves the way for understanding more about why clefts happen, why they sometimes run in families and if anything could be done to reduce the likelihood of a cleft occurring in the future.
Without research, our understanding of clefts and their treatment would not change. It is therefore vital to support research so that cleft care continues to improve for the next generation of patients