Cleft lip and palate (patient information)
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What is Cleft lip and palate?
Cleft lip and palate are birth defects that affect the upper lip and the roof of the mouth.
Cleft lip
If only skin tissue is affected one speaks of cleft lip. Cleft lip is formed in the top of the lip as either a small gap or an indentation in the lip (partial or incomplete cleft) or continues into the nose (complete cleft). Lip cleft can occur as one sided (unilateral) or two sided (bilateral). It is due to the failure of fusion of the maxillary and medial nasal processes (formation of the primary palate).
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Unilateral incomplete
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Unilateral complete
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Bilateral complete
A mild form of a cleft lip is a microform cleft. A microform cleft can appear as small as a little dent in the red part of the lip or look like a scar from the lip up to the nostril. In some cases muscle tissue in the lip underneath the scar is affected and might require reconstructive surgery. It is advised to have newborn infants with a microform cleft checked with a craniofacial team as soon as possible to determine the severeness of the cleft.
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3 months old boy before going into surgery to have his unilateral incomplete cleft lip repaired.
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The same boy, 1 month after the surgery.
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Again the same boy, age 1.5 years old. Note how the scar gets less visible with age.
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Cleft palate
What are the symptoms of Cleft lip and palate?
A child may have one or more of these conditions at birth.
A cleft lip may be just a small notch in the lip. It may also be a complete split in the lip that goes all the way to the base of the nose.
A cleft palate can be on one or both sides of the roof of the mouth. It may go the full length of the palate.
Other symptoms include:
- Misaligned teeth
- Change in nose shape (amount of distortion varies)
Problems that may be present because of a cleft lip or palate are:
- Failure to gain weight
- Feeding problems
- Flow of milk through nasal passages during feeding
- Misaligned teeth
- Poor growth
- Recurrent ear infections
- Speech difficulties
What are the causes of Cleft lip and palate?
Who is at risk for Cleft lip and palate?
How to know you have Cleft lip and palate?
When to seek urgent medical care
Treatment options
Diseases with similar symptoms
Where to find medical care for Cleft lip and palate
Directions to Hospitals Treating Cleft lip and palate