The incidence of oral clefts: a review

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0266-4356(96)90242-9Get rights and content

Abstract

We have reviewed epidemiological studies on the incidence of oral clefts in several regions of the world, but mainly in Europe. The incidence ranges from 1.0/1000 to 2.21/1000. The highest incidence was in Czechoslovakia (1.81/1000), followed by France (1.75/1000), Finland (1.74/1000), Denmark (1.69/1000), Belgium and the Netherlands (1.47/1000), Italy (1.33/1000), California (1.12/1000) and South America (1.0/1000). The data from Denmark and Finland appeared to be the most reliable.

All studies showed a higher incidence of cleft lip and/or palate (CL(P)) compared with cleft palate (CP). There was a predominance of girls in the CP group, while the CL(P) group comprised mainly boys. The left side was affected twice as often as the right side. Black children had a lower incidence than white children. An attempt was made in several reports to clarify the cause of oral clefts, but opinions are contradictory.

References (41)

  • E.B. Hook

    Incidence and prevalence as measures of the frequency of congenital malformations and genetic outcomes: Application to oral clefts

    Cleft Pal J

    (1988)
  • B. MacMahon et al.

    Epidemiology: principles and methods

  • I. Leck

    Fetal malformations

  • N.C. Myrianthopoulos

    Malformations in children from one to seven years

    N.C. Myrianthopoulos

    Malformations in children from one to seven years

    N.C. Myrianthopoulos

    Malformations in children from one to seven years

  • E.B. Hook

    Incidence and prevalence as measures of the frequency of birth defects

    Am J Epidemiol

    (1982)
  • A.P. Vanderas
  • R.B. Sayetta et al.

    Incidence and prevalence of cleft lip and palate: What we think we know

    Cleft Pal J

    (1989)
  • L.H. Meskin et al.

    Validity of the birth certificate in the epidemiologic assessment of facial clefts

    J Dent Res

    (1967)
  • H.G. Green et al.

    Accuracy of birth certificate data for detecting facial cleft defects in Arkansas children

    Cleft Palate J

    (1979)
  • A.M. Grittelsohn et al.

    Vital record incidence of congenital malformations in New York State

  • R.B. Ross et al.

    Cleft lip and palate

    (1978)
  • B. Felix-Schollaert et al.

    De incidentie van cheilognathopalatoschisis in Nederland

    Tijdschr Kindergen

    (1986)
  • J. Sanders

    Inheritance of harelip and cleft palate

  • W.M.J.van Duyne

    Enquête aangeboren afwijkingen 1963

    (1964)
  • A.M.E.A.van den Akker et al.

    Schisis in Nederland. De vraag naar behandeling van schisispatienten

    Ndl Tijdschr THK

    (1987)
  • B.L. Jensen et al.

    Cleft lip and palate in Denmark, '76–'81: Epidemiology, variability, and early somatic development

    Cleft Pal J

    (1988)
  • P. Fogh-Andersen

    Inheritance of harelip and cleft palate

    (1942)
  • A. Rintala et al.

    Increasing incidence of clefts in Finland: Reliability of hospital records and central register of congenital malformations

    Scand J Plast Reconstr Surg

    (1982)
  • M.A. Coupland et al.

    Seasonality, incidence, and sex distribution of cleft lip and palate births in Trent Region ('73–'82)

    Cleft Pal J

    (1988)
  • C. Stoll et al.

    Epidemiological and genetic study in 207 cases of oral clefts in Alsace, NorthEastern France

    J Med Genet

    (1991)
  • Cited by (170)

    • Functional cleft palate surgery

      2023, Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial Research
    • Dental development in cleft lip and palate patients: A systematic review

      2019, Forensic Science International
      Citation Excerpt :

      Orofacial clefts are one of the most common congenital birth defects with a worldwide frequency of 1 in 700 newborns, [1,2] and an incidence of 1.47/1000 in Belgium and the Netherlands in particular [3].

    • Evidence-Based Practices in Cleft Palate Surgery

      2024, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text