What causes cleft lips and palates?
Cleft lips and palates happen when there isn’t proper closure of the facial structure during growth of a fetus. The parts of the face and mouth develop separately, but ordinarily come together in the early months of fetal life. If for some reason the process is interrupted, the fusing may not take place or only partially take place. It is not known at this time why interruption in the fusing process happens. For a small percentage of children born with cleft lip/cleft palate there may be a genetic factor. If one parent or child in a family has a cleft, the chances of a future child being born with a cleft increases.
