What is cleft lip and cleft palate?
Clefting of the lip is a relatively common facial anomaly occurring in approximately 1 in every 700 live births. Most cases (80 percent) occur in males. There is a wide variation in occurence in different racial and ethnic groups. The African-American population has a lower incidence (1 per 2,300) whereas the Japanese and Native Americans have an increased incidence (1 per 580 and 1 per 280 respectively). In 80 percent of cases, only one side is affected, with twice as many of these occurring on the left side. A cleft lip involves an opening from the upper lip to one or both nostrils. A cleft lip can occur alone or together with a cleft palate. The palate is the roof of the mouth. A cleft palate with or without a cleft lip occurs in approximately 1 per 2,500 births. With a cleft in the palate, the opening in the roof of the mouth connects the oral (mouth) and nasal cavities. An isolated cleft palate is more common in females than males and is more frequently associated with other anoma
