{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T20:01:20Z","timestamp":1791489680774,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]],"date-time":"2026-03-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773360000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To identify the challenges facing comprehensive cleft care in Africa and to propose solutions to some of these challenges<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A virtual focus group discussion (FGD) was conducted involving 10 cleft care providers from across the African continent. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the collected data.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Setting<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Participants in the FGD were experienced cleft care providers from across Africa including North Africa, Southern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Central Africa and a representative of Francophone West Africa.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Participants<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Ten experienced cleft care providers from across the African continent, who were selected using a purposive sampling technique, based on their specialty and experience in cleft care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Main outcome measures<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Challenges facing comprehensive cleft care in Africa were identified and solutions proffered to some of these challenges.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The main challenges and solutions were categorized under patients\u2019 factors, clinicians\u2019 factors and institutional\/other factors. Poverty, low level of awareness, insufficient manpower and poor healthcare systems were some of the major recurring challenges. Other unique challenges identified were language barriers affecting access to cleftcare training in Francophone Africa and the brain drain syndrome, which had resulted in the migration of cleftcare manpower from the continent. Improved patient support systems, enhanced manpower training and motivation and improved healthcare systems were some of the solutions suggested\n                      <jats:bold>.<\/jats:bold>\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The main challenges identified were shortage of required manpower and institutional and policy challenges, while the proposed solutions ranged from enhanced manpower training and motivation to improved healthcare systems.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/10556656261428993","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]],"date-time":"2026-03-13T11:40:43Z","timestamp":1773402043000},"page":"3787-3797","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["What Are the Challenges Facing Comprehensive Cleft Care in Africa? A Qualitative Study Involving Cleft Care Providers Across Africa"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"63","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4041-2128","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ikenna Gerald","family":"Isiekwe","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, University of Lagos"},{"name":"Child Dental Health, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Surulere, Nigeria"},{"name":"Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Manav Rachna Dental College, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Faridabad, Haryana, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4201-4235","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Puneet","family":"Batra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Manav Rachna Dental College, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Faridabad, Haryana, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/02604027.2024.2315262"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","article-title":"PROTOCOL: Interventions to promote inclusive governance for underserved population in sub-Saharan Africa: An evidence and gap map","volume":"21","author":"Nyan CP","year":"2025","unstructured":"Nyan CP, Oppong SA, Manuh T, Ameyaw DS. 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