Cleft lip and palate

Introduction Cleft lip and palate is the most common congenital malformation in the oral and maxillofacial region. It is commonly known as the rabbit's lip. It is mainly manifested by the fact that the child can find a crack in the lip after birth. The occurrence of this malformation is often associated with heredity, early maternal illness or medication. On average, one in every 700 babies born has cleft lip and palate. Cleft lip and palate not only seriously affects the appearance of the face, but also directly affects the development of the mouth and nose. It often causes upper respiratory tract infection and otitis media. Children are obviously malnourished due to difficulty in sucking milk, causing serious trauma in children and parents.

Cause

This congenital malformation is mainly caused by fetal surface development disorders due to certain pathogenic factors during the 4th week to the 10th week of pregnancy. The current pathogenic factors that medical considers are:

1 Genetic factors: Some children have similar malformations in the immediate or collateral relatives. About 20% of children with cleft lip and palate can be diagnosed with a genetic history.

2 Infection and injury: Mothers infected with the virus at the beginning of pregnancy (about 2 months), such as flu, rubella or some kind of injury may become the cause of cleft lip and palate.

3 maternal pregnancy with chronic diseases such as anemia, diabetes, severe nutritional disorders.

4 take certain drugs during pregnancy: such as sedatives, anti-epileptic drugs and hormone drugs.

5 The mother received high dose X-rays during pregnancy.

6 Nutritional factors In the experimental animal research, it was found that mice lacking vitamin A, vitamin B and pantothenic acid, folic acid and other food ingredients can produce various shapes including F-cracking, and whether humans are also lacking such substances. The occurrence of congenital cleft lip and palate deformity is not yet clear. However, some people have investigated the mothers who have had cleft lip and palate, and some have obvious calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D and other deficiency in early pregnancy due to pregnancy vomiting or partial eclipse. Therefore, nutritional deficiencies in early pregnancy may be one of the causes of the disease.

7Drug and chemical factors Today's human application of a large number of chemical substances, such as drugs, food additives, condiments, cosmetics, etc.; as well as the increasingly serious industrial pollution in the human living environment, such as the atmosphere and water, may affect the human living environment, Damage to human health, more serious can induce human embryo developmental malformations. It is currently believed that drugs related to the occurrence of congenital cleft lip and palate deformities include six categories: hormones, anticonvulsants, alkylating agents, antibiotics, vitamins and sedatives.

8 Infection and Injury Factors The mother is afflicted with a viral infection at the beginning of pregnancy, which may affect the development of the embryo and cause cleft lip and palate or facial fissure deformity. Studies have shown that rubella virus can clearly cause cleft lip and palate. In addition, if the mother suffers some kind of damage in the early stage of pregnancy, especially those who can cause damage to the uterus and its vicinity, it can affect the development of the embryo and become a possible cause of cleft lip and palate.

Therefore, the key to prevention of cleft lip and palate is early pregnancy.

an examination

Cleft palate, due to the lack of between the oral cavity and the nasal cavity, the necessary negative pressure can not be formed in the mouth during breast pumping, so that the child has difficulty in sucking milk, resulting in malnutrition. Because the mouth is in communication with the nasal cavity, the oral cavity is poorly cleaned, which is prone to otitis media and respiratory infections. Seriously, due to the dysphonic disorder caused by cleft palate, the child's speech is unclear and has an open nasal sound. The diagnosis can be confirmed by the above consultation.

Differential diagnosis

Cleft lip and palate deformity has become one of the most common conditions in congenital malformations. The incidence rate was 0.182%. The main manifestations of cleft lip and palate are:

1. Cleft lip (unilateral or bilateral), that is, simple lip splitting.

2. Cleft palate, the upper palate splits open.

3. Lips and cleft palate, the labiata including the gums are split.

Severe rabbit lips can affect breastfeeding and prevent breastfeeding, which can lead to malnutrition in children. When the child speaks during growth and development, the words are unclear and affect the development of the language. In addition, due to the defects in their appearance, the ridicule of the surrounding partners after entering the school age will cause the child to feel inferior, which will cause psychological obstacles.

The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments.