Dental concerns of children with lip cleft and palate - a review

These are the most severe of congenital anomalies which affect the mouth and related structures. There are one of the most common congenital defects and occur about once in 1000 births. 1 There is a family history in only about one third of cases. Clefts of the palate only are more common in girls while clefts of the lip, with or without palatal involvement, are more common in boys. It is interesting to know that the left side is more often than the right.2 The exact cause of clefting is unknown in most cases. For most cleft conditions, no single factor can be identified as the cause. However, it is important to distinguish between isolated clefts (in which the patient has no other related health problems) and clefts associated with other birth disorders or syndromes.3,4 In the absence of the family history the occurrence of a congenital abnormality may be due to the action of mutation or some chance occurrence during the pregnancy. The lips and palate develop during the 5 -8 weeks of intrauterine life and any factor disrupting the heir formation must exert its influence during this relatively short period. In this respect it is difficult to offer positive views on factors related to maternal health during the pregnancy. it is accepted that German measles and x-ray examination during early pregnancy may produce congenital abnormalities and are to be avoided. The teratogenic action of certain drugs, particularly thalidomide is well known. Infarct the expectant mother is well advised to avoid all necessary drugs taking during the early stages of pregnancy.5-7 (Table 1-3) A useful classification of clefts is that of Kernahan and stark which is bases on an embryological considerations of the tissues involved there are essentially three main groups.7,8