The effects of oral clefts on hospital use throughout the lifespan.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Oral clefts are one of the most common birth defects worldwide. They require multiple healthcare interventions and add significant burden on the health and quality of life of affected individuals. However, not much is known about the long term effects of oral clefts on health and healthcare use of affected individuals. In this study, we evaluate the effects of oral clefts on hospital use throughout the lifespan.

Methods

We estimate two-part regression models for hospital admission and length of stay for several age groups up to 68 years of age. The study employs unique secondary population-based data from several administrative inpatient, civil registration, demographic and labor market databases for 7,670 individuals born with oral clefts between 1936 and 2002 in

SUBMITTER: Wehby GL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3350419 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature