Do you know about cleft lip and palate ??

Every year, about 4,440 babies with a cleft lip. Among the most common birth defects, cleft lip and cleft palate occur when the sides of the lip and roof of the mouth don’t fuse together properly.

clefts means ; The bones and tissues of a baby’s upper jaw, nose, and mouth normally fuse, or come together, during the first 6 to 10 weeks in the womb. This forms the roof of the mouth and the upper lip. When this process is unsuccessful, the baby is born with a “cleft” (split) in the mouth, lip or both.

Risk factors affecting the mother include diabetes, smoking or drinking during pregnancy, not consuming enough folic acid and taking anti-seizure medications.  Types of clefts

The major types of cleft are cleft lip and cleft palate. A baby may be born with only one or both conditions.

A cleft lip looks like an opening on the edge of the lip. Depending on how severe the cleft is, it may extend into the nose. Types include incomplete clefts, unilateral clefts and bilateral clefts.

A cleft palate, on the other hand, is a split in the roof of the mouth, also known as the soft and hard palate. This type of cleft may be limited to only part of the palate or one side of the face.

There are some complications to those who have this conditions like often have trouble feeding, since a gap in the upper mouth can prevent suction. Since breast-feeding may not be possible, special feeders have been developed to help parents feed their babies.

Other problems may arise later on. Clefts can cause hearing loss, speech difficulties and dental problems, such as missing, misshaped or irregularly aligned teeth. Children with cleft lip or cleft palate may also be at greater risk for cavities, since they often have weak areas in their enamel and thicker, less effective saliva.

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