In the womb, the upper lip develops from three parts and the palate develops into two halves which, in clefts, then fail to merge. There may be a cleft of the lip, the palate, or both. A baby born with cleft lip and palate usually requires two operations for the initial repair and then another operation at about 8 to 10 years of age to fill the gap in the alveolus (gum). Further surgery may be required to improve the appearance of the nose and the lip. As well as the obvious physical abnormality, there may be related problems with hearing or speech.
There is still so much that is unknown about clefts and why they occur. CLEFT is funding research into answering questions such as why do clefts occur and can we identify which genes have a role in clefts? For more information, look at some of the FAQs below to find out answers to questions such as What are the physical effects of cleft lip and palate? and Why do clefts happen?
The facts about cleft lip and palate
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