PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of the use of nasogastric tube in babies with cleft lip and/or palate, and to correlate its use with type of cleft, maternity hospital (private or public) and city of origin, and age at the first visit to a cleft center. METHODS: The sample consisted of data collected from 137 babies of both genders with cleft lip and/or palate, without any other associated anomalies, born full-term, who attended their first consultation at a specialized cleft center with ages between zero and 12 months (median=33 days). Statistical analyses used the coefficient of contingency test (p<0,05). RESULTS: From the subjects, 61% were male and 39% were female; 51% presented cleft lip and palate, 35% cleft palate, and 14% cleft lip. Regarding place of birth, 36% were born in private and 64% in public maternity hospitals; 60% were born in the city of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brazil), 15% in other cities of the metropolitan area, and 25% in other cities at the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil). The use of nasogastric tube was reported in 23% of the cases. There was no association between the type of cleft or maternity and the use of the tube, but the later was more frequent within the metropolitan area (p=0,007). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of the use of nasogastric tube in babies with cleft lip and/or palate was considered high since they were born full-term and without any other associated anomalies that would indicate the need of the tube. The use of nasogastric tube was more frequent in babies born at the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte, when compared to other cities in the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil).
Cleft lip; Cleft palate; Infants, newborn; Feeding methods; Enteral nutrition
