The Essentials - What Families Need to Know

Cleft lip and cleft palate are openings or splits in the upper lip, the roof of the mouth, or both. Cleft lip and palate result from the incomplete closure of the upper lip and roof of the mouth when an unborn baby's face and mouth are developing. While being born with a cleft is rare, cleft lip and cleft palate are among the most common birth defects. In fact, these abnormalities affect about one in every 700 births. There are many different types of cleft lip and cleft palate that a child can be born with. A major way of signifying the type of cleft lip a child has is its arrangement and formation. A cleft lip can be on just one side (unilateral), or both sides (bilateral) of the upper lip. Cleft lip may occur by itself, or can occur with a cleft palate. Likewise, a cleft palate may occur in isolation, without a corresponding deformity of the upper lip.

Types of Cleft Lip:

• Forme fruste unilateral cleft lip
  A subtle cleft on one side of the upper lip, which may appear as a small indentation.

• Incomplete unilateral cleft lip
  A cleft on one side of the upper lip, which does not extend into the nose.

• Complete unilateral cleft lip
  A cleft on one side of the upper lip, which extends into the nose.

• Incomplete bilateral cleft lip
  Clefts on both sides of the upper lip, not extending to the nose.

• Complete bilateral cleft lip
  Clefts on both sides of the upper lip, extending into the nose.

  Types of Cleft Palate:

• Incomplete cleft palate
  A cleft in the back of the mouth in the soft palate.

• Complete cleft palate
  A cleft affecting the hard and soft parts of the palate. The mouth and nose cavities are exposed to each other.

• Submucous cleft palate
  A cleft involving the hard and/or soft palate, covered by the mucous membrane lining the roof of the mouth.