Who Is Affected by Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate

The incidence of cleft lip with or without cleft palate varies by ethnic group and gender. Asians and Native Americans have the highest incidence and African Americans have the lowest.¹ Cleft lip occurs with or without cleft palate in about 1 out of 750 white births. And cleft palate alone occurs in about 1 out of 2,500 white births.¹

Cleft lip is more common in males. And cleft palate is more common in females.

References

Citations

1. Tinanoff N (2007). Cleft lip and palate. In RM Kliegman et al., eds., Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 18th ed., pp. 1532–1533. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier.

Credits

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	John Pope, MD - Pediatrics
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Adam David Schaffner, MD, FACS - Plastic Surgery, Otolaryngology
Last Revised	January 19, 2012