Prevalence Of Cleft Lip: A Retrospective Hospital Based Study

Facial cleft deformities, including cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) and cleft palate (CP), are among the most common congenital birth anomalies. While the worldwide prevalence of such deformities is about 1.5 per 1,000 live births, the rate varies six-fold for CL/P and three-fold for CP. Currently there is no national registry for birth defects. Hospital based surveys or studies are the most common source of information on birth defects like NTDs and OFCs in India. Thus several studies have reported varying results. The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence and gender variations of isolated cleft lip among patients who have visited Saveetha Dental College and have undergone primary cleft lip repair procedure. A retrospective study was conducted and data collection was done from dental archives pertaining from June 2019 to April 2020. Data consisted of patients with isolated cleft lip who underwent primary cleft lip repair procedure. Data was imported to IBM SPSS Version 20 for statistical analysis. Results were tabulated. From this study it has been observed that prevalence of isolated cleft lip is more among males (55.6%) compared to females (44.4%) and belonging to the age group 0 to 6 years. Millard's technique (rotation advancement technique) is the most commonly employed technique for primary cleft lip repair. Male predilection observed (statistically not significant). This study was conducted in a single centre - Saveetha Dental College. Extensive multi centre study with increased sample size is to be done.