What is a cleft?
A cleft is a birth defect and often the #1 birth defect in most developing countries. A cleft lip is an opening in the upper lip between a newborn’s mouth and nose. A cleft palate is created when the roof of the mouth has a hole in it. Babies can be born with a cleft lip or palate or both. Babies are born with clefts everywhere in the world including the U.S. But you seldom see clefts in the U.S. and Europe because they are repaired automatically soon after birth. Clefts are usually NOT repaired in developing countries because most of the families are too poor to afford surgery and the government will not provide free surgery.
