Oral and maxillofacial surgery · Face, mouth and jaws

Cleft lip and palate

Understand a congenital opening of the lip and/or palate and its multidisciplinary care.

Editorial publication · Medical review pending.

Understand

Cleft lip or palate occurs when structures forming the upper lip or roof of the mouth do not join completely early in pregnancy.

A visible lip opening, a gap in the palate, feeding difficulty, milk through the nose, hearing, speech and dental-development problems can occur.

It reflects a combination of genetic and environmental factors; in most cases no single action by the parents caused it.

Cleft lip may be seen on an antenatal ultrasound; cleft palate is often identified by a complete mouth examination after birth.

The team assesses feeding, hearing, speech, teeth and facial growth; genetic review is offered if other features suggest a syndrome.

Needs change from birth into adulthood; ears, speech, teeth, bite, facial growth and confidence may require long-term follow-up.

Feeding support, surgery on an individual timetable, ENT care, speech therapy, dentistry and orthodontics are coordinated by a specialist cleft team.

A known cleft should be referred early to a cleft team; seek review for poor weight gain, ear infections, speech or dental concerns.

In an infant, breathing difficulty, blue colour, inability to feed, few wet nappies, drowsiness or repeated choking needs urgent help.

A procedure linked to a condition does not establish an indication for your individual situation.