The Panorama of Cleft Lip and Palate Live Birth in Brazil: Follow-up of a 10-Year Period and Inequalities in the Health System

Abstract

Objective: To provide the prevalence and an overview of cleft lip and palate (CL/P) in the period of 2008 to 2017, as well as the profile of care provided for this condition in Brazil.

Design: Cross-sectional study of epidemiological character.

Setting: Brazilian government website.

Participants: National Live Birth and Hospital Information System.

Intervention: Organization of the end databases and performance-based statistical analysis.

Main outcome measure(s): Analysis of the prevalence of CL/P in newborns, sociodemographic condition of the mothers, surgical procedures and hospitalizations, and specialized hospitals in Brazil within a 10-year period.

Results: The average prevalence of CL/P in Brazil was ∼52 children per 100 000 live births in the covered period, corresponding to 1 per 1924 newborns. The presence of cleft was associated with preterm birth, being underweight, and the male gender. The highest prevalence was found in the South region, while the lowest was found in the Northeast region, with increasing rates in the North region of Brazil. The states with the highest prevalence were not those with a great number of hospitalizations and surgical procedures for live births with CL/P.

Conclusion: In the 10-year study period, the prevalence of CL/P was 0.52 newborns per 1000 live births, a result which differs among the states of Brazil. The need to reinforce the national monitoring of the prevalence and surgical procedures of cleft patients have also emphasized the need to improve public medical care for CL/P subjects.

Keywords: epidemiology; ethics/health policies; oral health.