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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffSeveral factors may increase the likelihood of a baby developing a cleft lip and cleft palate.
- Family history. Parents with a family history of cleft lip or cleft palate have a higher risk of having a baby with a cleft. Cleft lip is more likely to be inherited than is a cleft palate.
- Race. Clefts are more common in children of American Indian, Hispanic or Asian descent. Black children are least likely to have a cleft.
- Sex. Males are twice as likely to have a cleft lip. Females, however, are about twice as likely to have a cleft palate.
- Environmental factors. Exposure in early pregnancy to cigarette smoke, alcohol or illicit drugs may put a baby at higher risk of developing a cleft.
