Cleft lip or cleft palate is a opening existing lip or palate (sky of the mouth), present since birth. This is a poor formation resulting from the non-junction between the left and right sides of the lip and palate during intrauterine development.
It is believed that the cleft lip occurs due to genetic predisposition of the fetus associated with environmental factors during pregnancy, such as alcoholic beverages, tobacco and use of medicines such as corticosteroids and anticonvulsants. The risk is higher when the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and medication occurs in the first trimester of gestation.
The cleft lip is the congenital defect, that is, present since birth, most common observed in facial malformations, with 1 case in every 650 births. The name "cleft palate" literally means "cleft in the roof of the mouth".
The cause of the cleft lip is a bad formation which occurs in the embryo as early as the first months of development inside the uterus. The two parts of the lip and the roof of the mouth are formed separately during the embryonic stage, joining at the end of the process of embryonic formation.
When there is a failure in the junction of these two embryonic structures that form the lips and the roof of the mouth, the cleft palate
The cleft palate can be identified from the 14th week of pregnancy through imaging examinations. However, the definitive diagnosis is given after the child is born with the clinical evaluation performed by the pediatrician.
Learn more at:
What is the treatment for cleft lip?
Cleft Palate: What Causes and How to Treat?
