Objective: This study is performed to investigate the trend of health care (HC) utilization among cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) during 2007-2016 by using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (KNHIS).
Methods: The KNHIS data were reorganized to count a specific patient only once for a specific year. Cleft type (cleft lip [CL], cleft palate [CP], and cleft lip and palate [CLP]), sex, and age at HC utilization were investigated. The study period was divided into the first half (2007-2011) and the last half (2012-2016). The utilization number and rate per 1,000 population were calculated for the total population and for new-born patients. Independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used for statistical analyses.
Results: The total CL/P population (n = 48,707) comprised 19.2% CLP, 35.5% CL, and 45.3% CP (CLP < CL < CP; p < 0.001). Their HC utilization rate increased from 0.066 in 2007 to 0.118 in 2016. The new-born patient population (n = 7,617) comprised 18.6% CLP, 30.4% CL, and 51.0% CP (CLP < CL < CP; p < 0.001). Their HC utilization rate increased from 1.12 in 2007 to 1.74 in 2016. An examination of the utilization number and rate among new-born patients revealed CP exhibited a female-dominant pattern (all p < 0.01), while CL and CLP exhibited a male-dominant pattern (all p < 0.01). However, utilization number showed no difference by sex and cleft type between 2007-2011 and 2012-2016.
Conclusions: These results might serve as a guideline for HC utilization among patients with CL/P.
Keywords: Cleft lip; Cleft palate; National Health Programs; Population surveillance; Republic of Korea.