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Cleft Lip and Palate
Cleft Lip and Palate
AND PALATE
Description
1. Cleft lip (cheiloschisis) is a congenital
anomaly that occurs at a rate of 1 in 800 births.
a. If the cleft does not affect the palate structure of the mouth it is
referred to as cleft lip.
b. Cleft lip is formed in the top of the lip as either a small gap or an
indentation in the lip (partial or incomplete cleft) or it continues
into the nose (complete cleft)
a. c. Cleft lip can be unilateral or bilateral.
b. d. It is due to the failure of fusion of the maxillary and
medial nasal processes (formation of the primary palate).
2. Cleft palate (palatoschisis) is a congenital anomaly
that occurs in approximately 1 of every 2000 births,
and it is more common in boys than girls.
a. It is a condition in which the two plates of the skull that form the
hard palate (roof of the mouth) are not completely joined.
b. It ranges in severity from soft palate involvement alone to a defect
including the hard palate and portions of the maxilla.
c. Cleft palate may or may not be associated with cleft lip.
Eating difficulty:
o Suction cannot be created for effective sucking.
o Food returns through the nose.
o Nasal speech.
Diagnostic Evaluation