Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate

A cleft lip and cleft palate are openings in a baby’s upper lip or roof of their mouth (palate). They’re congenital abnormalities (birth defects) that form while a fetus develops in the uterus. Cleft lips and cleft palates happen when tissues of the upper lip and roof of the mouth don’t join together properly during fetal development. Surgery can repair a cleft lip and/or cleft palate.

What is cleft lip?

Our lips form between weeks four and seven of fetal development. Tissues from each side of the head join together at the center of the face to make the lips and mouth. A cleft lip happens when the tissues that make the lips don’t join completely.

As a result, an opening or gap forms between the two sides of the upper lip. The cleft can range from a small indentation to a large gap that reaches the nose. This separation can include the gums or the palate (roof of the mouth).

What is cleft palate?

The roof of your mouth (palate) forms between six and nine weeks of pregnancy. A cleft palate is a split or opening in the roof of your mouth that forms during fetal development. A cleft palate can include the hard palate (the bony front portion of the roof of the mouth) and/or the soft palate (the soft back portion of the roof of the mouth).

Cleft lip and cleft palate can occur on one or both sides of the mouth. Because the lip and the palate develop separately, it’s possible to have a:

• Cleft lip without a cleft palate.
• Cleft palate without a cleft lip.
• Both a cleft lip and cleft palate (most common).

How common is this condition?

Cleft lip and cleft palate are common congenital disorders in the U.S.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• About 1 in every 1,600 babies is born with both cleft lip and cleft palate.
• About 1 in every 2,800 babies is born with cleft lip without cleft palate.
• About 1 in every 1,700 babies is born with cleft palate.

Cleft lip (either with or without a cleft palate) is more common in babies assigned male at birth (AMAB). Cleft palate (without a cleft lip) is more common in babies assigned female at birth (AFAB).