ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Children and Health
Parental Knowledge and Barriers to Cleft Lip and Palate Care: A Cross-Cultural Study from the Middle East and South Asia
Provisionally accepted
Sari M. Rabah1*Heba Jafar Sabbagh2
Alya AlZabin3
Ebtesam Almajed3Razan Albrahim3Reema Aldawish3Lara Alyahiwi3Rand Alshabnan3
Narmin Helal2Muhammad Asjad Khan4Muhammad Abrar Yousaf5
Shaimaa Refahee6Mohamed Mamdouh Koraitim7Mohammed Sadeq Kasem Albadani7
Yousef Saleh Khader8Tamara Karim Al Halasa8Ola B Al-Batayneh8,9- 1King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 2King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Dentistry, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- 3College of Medicine, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 4Virtual University of Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan
- 5University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- 6Fayoum University, Faiyum, Egypt
- 7Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
- 8Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
- 9University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
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Background: Orofacial clefts, including cleft lip and/or palate (CLP), are common congenital anomalies that can cause feeding difficulties, speech articulation issues, dental problems, and ear complications. Timely treatment is essential to improve the quality of life for affected children. This study investigates parental knowledge, perceptions, and barriers to care for children with CLP across Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Pakistan. It explores cultural and systemic factors influencing healthcare-seeking behavior and offers recommendations to reduce cross-cultural disparities in awareness and access to care. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey targeted parents of children with CLP, recruited through hospital records and community support centers in the four countries. The questionnaire collected data on sociodemographics, parental knowledge, attitudes, practices regarding CLP, and barriers to accessing care. Results: A total of 505 parents participated, representing diverse regions of the Arab Gulf, North Africa, and South Asia. Most parents (91.9%) sought medical attention promptly after noticing CLP. However, knowledge varied: while many parents understood the medical nature of CLP, few recognized it as a syndrome or thought it was preventable. Travel and appointment barriers were prevalent; 70.3% traveled long distances for care, and 37.4% missed appointments due to work commitments. Conclusion: The findings reveal regional disparities in parental knowledge and access to care. Parents from higher socioeconomic backgrounds and the Arab Gulf reported better understanding and fewer barriers. Improving health education, transportation access, and community-based services is vital to support families and enhance CLP management.
Keywords: Cleft lip and palate1, pediatrics2, Parental perception3, quality of life4, Cleft lip5, Cleft Palate6, Health Policies7, Familial adjustment8
Received: 23 Aug 2025; Accepted: 11 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rabah, Sabbagh, AlZabin, Almajed, Albrahim, Aldawish, Alyahiwi, Alshabnan, Helal, Khan, Yousaf, Refahee, Koraitim, Kasem Albadani, Khader, Al Halasa and Al-Batayneh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sari M. Rabah, srabah@kaauh.edu.sa
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