Cleft lip & cleft palate are the most common congenital deformities affecting newborn children worldwide. These are the types of congenity involving openings or splits in the upper lip, palate, or both. However, with timely treatment and concern, children with cleft lips and cleft palates can easily live a healthy life like normal ones.
What Are Cleft Lip & Cleft Palate?
Cleft lip & cleft palate are openings in a child’s upper lip or the roof of their mouth. These deformities occur very early in pregnancy, while the fetus is developing inside the mother’s uterus. A cleft lip is a physical split of two sides of the upper lip that may extend to the nose, while a cleft palate is a split or opening in the roof of the mouth.
A cleft palate can occur as either a hard (bony front portion of the roof of the mouth) or soft (the soft portion of the roof of the mouth) palate. The impact brought about by both conditions will be able to affect an individual’s physical appearance, hinder feeding and speech, and even impair their emotional well-being.
Causes of Cleft Lip & Palate
The causes of cleft lip and cleft palate are multifactorial, involving a mixture of genetic and environmental factors. Although the exact cause is not identifiable, research points to various factors:
- Genetics: Any family history increases the chances of these conditions. If a sibling or parent has a cleft, the risk for subsequent children rises.
- Environmental Factors: Exposure of the expectant mother to any drug, tobacco, or alcohol may pose a risk.
- Syndromes: In occasional instances, the cleft lip and palate are accompanying manifestations of an underlying syndrome, such as Pierre Robin or Treacher Collins syndrome.
- Ethnicity: Some groups of people, of an Asian, Native American, or Hispanic background, for instance, have a greater population of cleft occurrences than others.
Symptoms and Challenges
The symptoms can be easily identified at the prenatal stages of the baby through an ultrasound scan. Some of the difficulties faced in the case of these two conditions are:
1. Visible Deformities: In a cleft lip, there can be a small notch or a large gap up to the nostrils, whereas in a cleft palate, there is an opening on the roof of the mouth. In a cleft lip, there can be a small notch, whereas there is an opening on the roof of the mouth in a cleft palate.
2. Feeding Difficulties: An infant born with a cleft palate usually faces difficulties in creating a necessary sucking motion to either breast-feed or bottle-feed. This might pose a threat of malnutrition to the child.
3. Speech Problems: Children may have difficulty articulating words.
4. Dental Complications: Clefts sometimes cause missing, malformed, or deformed teeth.
5. Emotional and Social Impact: Viewable physical differences may result in low confidence, stigma, and possibly bullying, especially in children.
In order to overcome these issues and optimize the life of the individual, it is important to make an earlier diagnosis and intervention.
Treatment Available
This procedure requires early intervention of a skilled surgeon. The surgical procedure tends to start right from birth and goes up to early childhood. Below are the treatments available:
- Surgical Repair: Surgery is also a treatment form for someone with a cleft lip & palate condition. Cleft lip surgery is usually carried out when the child is between 3-6 months old, whereas the procedure of cleft palate repair occurs when the child is between 9-12 months old.
- Speech Therapy: Speech therapy may also be needed to correct articulation and nasal speech.
- Orthodontic Care: Orthodontists address the misalignment of teeth and bony defects at the alveolar ridge. This can be achieved by using braces and a bone graft at around the age of 8 years.
- Auditory Aids: The use of ear tubes prevents fluid from building up and reduces the rate of hearing loss.
- Prosthodontic Care: It is considered a dental bridge for the improvement of speech and chewing in children.
Saraswat Hospital: Transforming Lives with Free Cleft Surgeries
Saraswat Hospital aims to create smiles and bring about a change in the lives of children born with cleft deformity. We understand that multiple surgeries and their aftercare are financially burdensome for them. Thus, it extends free cleft surgeries to eligible families. Our ABHRS-certified team of plastic surgeons provides complete care, from diagnosis to long-term follow-up.
Located in Agra, Saraswat Hospital combines the latest technology with the best facilities, empowering children to get a new facial appearance. Our outreach program raises awareness about cleft care. By removing financial barriers, we also aim to give every child the chance to smile with confidence.
Preventing Tips
While not all cases are preventable, the following can reduce the risk:
- Prenatal care includes taking prenatal vitamins, especially with folic acid, in addition to healthy food for healthy fetal development.
- Use of any harmful substances, such as tobacco and alcohol, must be avoided. Another thing is that medications not prescribed by the doctor are to be completely avoided during pregnancy.
- Genetic counseling with a purpose of families with a cleft history is to assess the risk of clefts occurring, pre-pregnancy.
Conclusion
Cleft lip and palate are complex conditions; however, with early diagnosis and care, the children affected by them can grow up healthy and joyous. We feel proud at Saraswat Hospital as we get to play a part in this journey by offering free-of-cost surgeries to such children. Reach out to our team at this number +91 7817851199 to learn how we help transform lives.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What causes cleft lip & cleft palate?
It occurs because of the incomplete closure of the facial structures during fetal development. This might result from gene interactions as well as external factors such as smoking, exposure to alcohol, or the intake of certain medications during the gestation period. Additionally, some patients may present with a genetic syndrome.
2. Can cleft lip and palate be detected before birth?
Yes, prenatal ultrasounds, particularly 3D, can identify a cleft lip as early as thirteen weeks of gestation. It is much more difficult to diagnose a cleft palate by itself, though it may be possible later in the pregnancy.
3. What is the treatment timeline for cleft procedures?
Typically, a minimum of 3 months for cleft lip and a minimum of 9 months for cleft palate can address these issues effectively.
4. How does Saraswat Hospital support families with cleft conditions?
Saraswat Hospital provides free cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries, medications, and proper aftercare for the best outcome for children.
5. Are there long-term complications from cleft lip and cleft palate?
Complications can occur if the cleft lip and cleft palate are treated poorly, but with proper treatment and care, most children have minimal complications.
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