What Are Clefts?
Globally, 1 in 700 babies is born with a cleft lip and/or palate. Clefts can cause difficulties eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking.
What are cleft lips and palates?
A cleft occurs when certain body parts and structures do not fuse together during fetal development. Clefts can involve the lip and/or the roof of the mouth, which is made up of both hard and soft palate. Around the world, many children with clefts will never receive the reconstructive surgery they need.
How common are clefts?
There are varying opinions on the actual incidence of clefts, but most experts agree that, in part, it depends on ethnicity. Some experts say that the highest cleft incidences are among Asians (approximately 1 in 500 births). Caucasians have an average incidence of 1 in 700 births and individuals of African descent have the lowest incidence, of approximately 1 in 1,200 births.
What causes a cleft?
Most experts agree that a cleft might be caused by any number of factors, potentially including genetic predisposition, as well as environmental issues such as maternal drug and alcohol use, smoking, illness, infection, or lack of Vitamin B, also known as folic acid. In most cases, we can't know why any given individual has a cleft, but research is ongoing to better understand the condition.
What does it mean to be a child with an untreated cleft?
Children with untreated clefts face physical difficulties eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking. Cleft treatment alleviates many of these difficulties, ultimately enabling them to thrive.
Can clefts be treated?
Reconstructive surgery for clefts has evolved over more than half a century, and today’s techniques and procedures have come a long way. The surgery today is safe and the transformation is immediate. Patients see their smile for the first time, parents cry tears of joy, and lives and communities are changed forever.