Cleft lip and palate

Cleft lip and palate are a part of the craniofacial anomaly spectrum. Oral clefts are one of the most common birth defects. During normal fetal development between the 6th and 11th week of pregnancy, the clefts in both lip and palate fuse together. In babies born with cleft lip or cleft palate these splits have failed to fuse. Clefts in the lip can range from a tiny notch or a large defect in the upper lip to a split that extends into the nose. A cleft palate can range from a small malformation that results in minimal problems to a large separation of the palate that interferes with eating, speaking, and even breathing. Complications include breathing and feeding difficulties, ear infections and hearing loss, speech and language delay and dental problems.