What Are the Causes of Cleft Palates?
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, cleft lip and cleft palate is the most common congenital deformity, affecting 1 out of every 700 children born each year. (Reference 1) Cleft lip and cleft palate abnormalities occur during the fifth week of gestation, when the medial nasal and maxillary processes fail to merge together during fetal facial formation. Genetics and environmental factors such as drugs and toxin exposure can cause cleft abnormalities in the developing fetus.
