Cleft lip and cleft palate are very common birth defects, and they can occur on their own or together. However, they’re usually corrected with surgery.

Cleft lip & cleft palate

A cleft lip occurs when the tissue of the lips doesn’t bind together correctly during the fetal development. This causes a gap between the two sides of the upper lip.

A cleft palate occurs when there is a split in the roof of the mouth that forms during the fetal development.

Cleft lip and cleft palate can affect one or both sides of the mouth. A cleft lip is more common in males, and a cleft palate is more common in females.

Causes and risk factors of cleft lip & cleft palate

• There isn’t a known reason for cleft lip and cleft palate in numerous cases. However, it’s thought that they occur due to genetic and environmental causes.
• The risk of cleft lip and cleft palate increases due to the following factors: family history, smoking and drinking during pregnancy, taking certain medications during pregnancy (like anti-seizures, isotretinoin, and methotrexate), folic acid deficiency, obesity, and exposure to chemicals or certain viruses during pregnancy.

Symptoms of cleft lip & cleft palate

• Both cleft lip and cleft palate are typically seen directly after birth.
• The split can affect one or both sides.
• The cleft lip can manifest only as a small notch in the lip, or it can spread from the lip to the bottom of the nose.
• The cleft palate doesn’t affect how the face looks.
• Cleft lip and cleft palate can lead to difficulty feeding the baby, dental problems, ear infections, hearing loss, struggling with speaking, and social and emotional difficulties.

Diagnosis of cleft lip & cleft palate

• An ultrasound during pregnancy.

Treatment of cleft lip & cleft palate

• A surgery for cleft lip and cleft palate can fix the condition.