Cleft Awareness and Prevention Month

Have you ever wondered how  miracle like a baby being formed in its mothers womb occurs. This is something that happens over and over again. Most times all goes right but some times something may go wrong. One thing that may occur when the baby is forming is known as cleft palate. An infant born with the roof of their mouth has not joined together during fetal development is known as cleft palate.

A cleft palate is a birth condition where the components of the roof of an infant ‘s mouth have not joining up during early fetal development. Cleft lip is similar but it’s the parts of the lip that are affected. The two halves of the palate or the lip do not fuse properly, leaving an open space known as a ‘cleft The event occurs in one in every six to eight hundred live births. Cleft conditions vary in severity and extent with variations including cleft lip, cleft palate, cleft lip and palate. Clefting may leave a notch or scar and may involve the soft and / or hard palate. The condition may occur on one side of the face only one side or both sides

The reasons that birth defects involving the cleft plate occur are not known. Reasoning may be from genetics , a few cases have shown this to be the cause. Over 1 in every 3 children are born with a cleft or have a relative with the same or similar condition or genetic condition related to the cleft palate.
Cleft conditions occur late in the first month of pregnancy, perhaps before the soon to be mother realizes she is pregnant. The mouth develops in two halves each forming part of a hard palate. The hard palates will form together to form the roof of the mouth by the eighth week. The lips will form around the 10th month.If an issue with the lip or palate occurs it is known as cleft. This occurs if the two halves do not fuse properly which causes the soft palate or nostrils not to fuse correctly as well.

Treatment through surgery can be done normally before the age of one. The surgery is used to correct the clefting and any other structures that did not develop properly. Many times problems such as feeding and speech may arise. if  surgery is not done. Other issues that may result from cleft palate include tendency to develop recurring ear infections, speech and language development issues, swallowing issues. Depending on their needs, your child may need to have ongoing care from a cleft team. This might include a/an:

clinical nurse consultant
audiologist
dental specialist
ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon
oral and maxillofacial surgeon
paediatrician
plastic surgeon
speech pathologist.
Your child will see the cleft team from birth until their face has finished growing (usually in their late teens).

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