Cleft palate: what it is, causes and treatment

A cleft palate is a congenital malformation in which the roof of the mouth does not close properly, causing an opening to be seen, which can interfere with the baby’s feeding and speech, potentially causing complications such as malnutrition, anemia, aspiration pneumonia and even frequent infections.

In some cases, the cleft palate can be accompanied by a cleft lip, in which there is also an opening in the lips that can reach the nose, which is then called cleft lip and palate. Learn more about cleft lip.

Therefore, from the moment the cleft palate or cleft lip and palate is identified, it is important to begin treatment, which consists of performing surgery to close the roof of the mouth and the baby’s lip, in the case of cleft lip and palate, This way you can avoid complications. The baby recovers completely within a few weeks after the operation, with no complications in teeth growth or feeding.

Causes of cleft palate

The cleft palate arises due to a fetal malformation that occurs when the two sides of the face come together, around 16 weeks of gestation. The causes are not fully known, however it is believed that some factors can increase the baby’s chance of having a cleft palate, such as:

• Use of antibiotics, anticonvulsants, antifungals or bronchodilators during pregnancy without medical recommendation;
• Consumption of illicit drugs and/or alcohol and smoking during pregnancy;
• Nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy;
• Lack of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy, when indicated;
• Uncontrolled diabetes during pregnancy.

However, a healthy woman who has had adequate prenatal care can also have a baby with this type of cleft in the roof of the mouth and, therefore, the cleft palate can also be related to genetic factors.

How is the diagnosis

The identification of the cleft palate can be done during pregnancy through morphological ultrasound in the second trimester of pregnancy, from the 14th week onwards, through 3D ultrasound or at the time of birth. After birth, the child needs to be monitored by a pediatrician, otorhinolaryngologist and dentist because the cleft palate can compromise the birth of teeth and feeding.

Normally, after identifying the cleft palate, the doctor investigates Patau Syndrome, as it is common for children with cleft palate or cleft lip and palate to also have this syndrome. Learn more about Patau syndrome.

Cleft palate treatment

Treatment for cleft palate is performed through surgery, which aims to close the roof of the mouth. Surgery to correct a cleft in the soft palate should be done between 3 and 6 months of age, while surgery for the hard palate should be done between 15 and 18 months of age.

The surgery is quick and relatively simple and can achieve excellent results. For the plastic surgeon to perform the surgery, the baby must be over 3 months old and not have anemia, in addition to being in good health. See more details about cleft palate surgery.

Baby care before surgery

Before surgery, parents must take some important precautions, such as:

• Always cover the baby’s nose with a diaper to warm the air the baby breathes a little because this way there is less risk of flu and colds, which are very common in these children;
• Always clean the baby’s mouth with a clean diaper moistened with saline solution, to remove any remaining milk and food after he eats. If necessary, you can also use cotton swabs to clean the crack in the roof of your mouth;
• Take the baby to a dentist appointment before 4 months of age, to assess oral health and when the first teeth should appear;
• Make sure the baby eats well to avoid low birth weight or anemia, which will prevent mouth surgery.

Furthermore, it is important to keep the baby’s nose clean, using saline solution to remove dirt and secretions at least once a day.