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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffA baby's face and skull form during the first two months in the womb. Normally, the tissues that make up the lip and palate fuse together. But in babies with cleft lip or cleft palate, the fusion never takes place or occurs only partially, leaving an opening (cleft).
Researchers believe that most cases of cleft lip and cleft palate are caused by an interaction of genetic and environmental factors. In many babies, a definite cause isn't discovered.
- Genetic factors. Either the mother or the father can pass on genes that cause clefting, either as an isolated defect or as part of a syndrome that includes clefting as one of its signs. In some cases, babies inherit a gene that makes them more likely to develop a cleft, and then an environmental trigger actually causes the cleft to occur.
- Environmental factors. Fetal exposure to cigarette smoke, alcohol, certain medications, illicit drugs and certain viruses have been linked to the development of a cleft.
- Cleft lip and cleft palate. March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/printableArticles/14332_1210.asp. Accessed April 5, 2009.
- Moreau JL, et al. Tissue engineering solutions for cleft palates. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 2007;65:2503.
- Cleft lip and palate repair. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. www1.plasticsurgery.org/ebusiness4/ProductCatalog/pdf/brochures/Cleft_Lip.pdf. Accessed April 5, 2010.
- Mossey PA, et al. Cleft lip and palate. The Lancet. 2009;374:1773.
- Hoffman WY. Cleft Lip & Palate. In: Lalwani AK. Current Diagnosis & Treatment in Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2826340&searchStr=cleft+lip#2826340. Accessed April 5, 2010.
- Craniofacial abnormalities. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/see19/ch288/ch288d.html. Accessed April 5, 2010.
- Burns JL. Plastic surgery (cleft lip and palate). In: Townsend CM Jr, et al. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/1932697333/978681486/1565/708.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3675-3..50077-0--cesec9_4303. Accessed April 5, 2010.
- Wilkins-Haug L. Prenatal diagnosis of orofacial clefts. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 5, 2010.
- Stothard KJ, et al. Maternal overweight and obesity and the risk of congenital anomalies: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2009;301:636.
- The school years: An introduction to psychology. Cleft Lip & Palate Association. http://www.clapa.com/news/article/901/. Accessed April 9, 2010.
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