What is a cleft lip or palate?
The term “cleft” refers to an opening. An opening in the lip is called cleft lip. An opening in the roof of the mouth (palate) is called cleft palate. The separate parts that form a baby’s face and palate come together during early pregnancy. A cleft occurs if the parts do not fuse completely. One out of every 700 babies has some form of cleft lip or cleft palate. Cleft lip used to be referred to as a hare lip because it was thought the upper lip looked like a rabbit’s lip. The term hare lip should not be used. The condition should be referred to as cleft lip.
