[Cleft palate and cleft lip. Clinical review]

Abstract

The aim of this study is to do an analytical study of cleft palate and cleft lip in our hospital.

Patients and methods: 85 clinical charts of patients attended in our hospital born between 1976 and 2001 in Aragon and Rioja were reviewed. We studied the incidence of oral cleft, associated malformations and morbidity, familial antecedents and perinatal data, phonatory disfunctions, serose otitis, growth failure and psychiatry problems.

Results: The mean incidence was 0.5/1000 newborns. 41.5% presented associated malformations and 19.3% were associated with a specific syndrome, being more frequent in patients affected of cleft palate and cleft lip (50%) than patients with only cleft palate (41.2%) or only cleft lip (8.8%). The most frequent malformations were: facial defects (50%), skeletal (33%), congenital cardiopathies (33%). 19% were born prematurely. The percentage of serose otitis that required control at hospital was 37.3%. 34.2% presented phonatory problems. There was a high incidence of growth failure and psychiatry problems.

Conclusion: Oral clefts represent a complex clinical condition with a high percentage of medical complications that require a multidisciplinary treatment. The high incidence of congenital defects associated with this condition demand an exhaustive screening in the newborns affected.