Pediatric Cleft and Craniofacial Center

What is a Cleft Lip and/or a Cleft Palate?

Before

Cleft lip and/or cleft palate are anomalies that occur when a baby's lip and/or palate do not fully form prior to birth. A cleft lip is a separation of the two sides of the upper lip. The separation often includes the gum line and/or bones of the upper jaw, as well as the nose.

A cleft palate is an opening in the roof of the mouth in which the two sides of the palate did not fuse, or join together. The mouth and the nose are no longer separated and become one cavity – you probably see this most dramatically when your baby eats.

Cleft lip and cleft palate can occur on one side (unilateral cleft lip and/or palate), or on both sides (bilateral cleft lip and/or palate). Because the lip and the palate develop separately, it is possible for the child to have a cleft lip or a cleft palate alone, or both together.

These clefts, or separartions, normally are present in early fetal development. The lip usually closes by 5 to 6 weeks after conception, and the palate by 10 weeks. The lip or the lip and palate together fail to close in approximately 1 in every 1,000 babies born. Some ethnic groups (such as eskimos or asians) have a higher number of babies with cleft lip. Males are affected more frequently than females.

Cleft palate occurs alone less often, appearing in approximately 1 in every 2,000 babies. Unlike the risk for cleft lip/palate, the risk for isolated cleft palate appears to be similar across all racial groups. And unlike cleft lip/palate, there is a higher incidence of cleft palate alone in females.

Causes of Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate

After

The specific causes or risk factors for developing cleft lip or palate are not well understood. Potential causes/risk factors include: