Epidemiology
Cleft lip and palate is the most common congenital craniofacial anomaly.[7] The overall incidence of orofacial clefting in the US and Canada is between 1 in 800 and 1 in 1300 live births.[8][9][10]
Two thirds of orofacial clefting involve the lip and/or palate, and nearly one third involve the palate alone. The majority of cleft lip and/or palate cases are unilateral (80%), and are more common on the left side. Midline clefts of the nose and/or lip are rare deformities.
There are distinct differences in the occurrence of cleft lip and/or palate between various ethnicities, with an incidence of 1 in 1000 live births in white people, 3.6 in 1000 in Native American people, 2.1 in 1000 in Japanese people, and only 0.3 in 1000 in African American people. The incidence of isolated cleft palate is 1 in 1500 live births and shows no ethnic variation.
Isolated cleft palate occurs more frequently in females, while cleft lip and/or palate occurs more frequently in males.[9]
Use of this content is subject to our disclaimer