The Cleft Palate Foundation have very kindly given permission to use their press release as a way of raising awareness of National Cleft & Craniofacial Awareness & Prevention Month.

They say “In the United States, approximately one of every 600 newborn babies is born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate. This July, over 20 organizations committed to craniofacial care will engage in activities promoting National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month.

“Clefts of the lip and palate are the number one birth defect worldwide according to the World Health Organization,” said Marilyn Cohen, President of the Cleft Palate Foundation, “And other craniofacial conditions often affect children throughout the world. This national month of awareness provides an opportunity to discuss facial differences, the treatment options available to individuals, and the prevention of craniofacial defects.”

Occurring in about 7,000 infants per year in the U.S., a cleft lip or palate is created when the tissue that makes up the upper lip or the roof of the mouth does not join together completely during pregnancy, leaving an opening. Although clefts are usually repaired surgically in the first year of life, many children need additional surgeries and treatments as they get older to improve problems with breathing, hearing, or speech and language development. Those born with cleft lip or palate also tend to require special dental or orthodontic care throughout their lives.

The causes of orofacial clefts are mostly unknown, resulting from changes in the child’s genes before birth. Recently, CDC found that women who smoke during pregnancy or are diagnosed with diabetes before pregnancy have an increased risk of having a child with a cleft. CDC also found that women who use certain medicines to treat epilepsy, such as topiramate or valproic acid, during the first trimester (the first 3 months) of pregnancy also have an increased risk. Craniofacial birth defects range in severity and affect the head and face in a variety of ways. Specific information about causes and treatment for clefts and other craniofacial birth defects in the U.S. is available through the Cleft Palate Foundation. ”

You can read more about Cleft & Craniofacial Awareness & Prevention Month here.