Who gets cleft lip and palate?
Clefts can occur in any newborn infant. Of all babies born with clefts, two-thirds have cleft lip and palate while one-third have isolated cleft palate. Clefts of the lip and palate together are more common in boys, while isolated clefts of the palate occur more commonly in girls. Clefts of the lip and palate are most common in Asians and least common in African-Americans. Clefts of the palate alone are equally common among all races. Clefting is also more likely to occur in a newborn who has a family history of primary relatives (parents, siblings) with clefts. What causes these clefts? There appear to be a number of different factors that are important in clefting. These include genetics, ethnic background and certain environmental and chemical/drug exposures. Thus, clefting is considered a “multifactorial” problem. About one-third of infants born with clefts have a family history of clefting. All families with cleft-affected children are encouraged to consult with a geneticist, who
