Cleft palate
Cleft lip and cleft palate is relatively common, occurring roughly once in 600 live births. The majority of these abnormalities are isolated occurrences, however there may be a positive family history. Some cases have been linked to maternal corticosteroid therapy.
The distribution of occurrences of different types of cleft lip and/or cleft palate is approximately:
- cleft lip - a third
- cleft palate - a quarter
- cleft lip and palate - nearly half
The majority of cleft lip and/or palate cases are unilateral (80%), and are more common on the left side. Midline clefts of the nose and/or lip are rare deformities.
Reference
- Tanaka SA et al. Updating the epidemiology of cleft lip with or without cleft palate. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2012 Mar;129(3):511e-8e.
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