National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month

July for many of us marks the height of the summer, patriotic celebrations, and family road trips. But July is also an important month for bringing greater awareness and advocacy for cleft palate and craniofacial conditions. July is National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month, a time dedicated to bringing insight and research to the congenital conditions responsible for cleft lip and palate, hemifacial microsomia, and craniosynostosis.

Cleft Lip and Palate

1 in 1600 babies born in the United States each year will have a cleft lip and palate condition. This is when the upper lip has a split or opening and the palate has on opening in the roof of the mouth. Sometimes a cleft lip will occur alone, in about 1 in 2,800 births, with no cleft palate. 1 in 1,700 babies are born with a cleft palate but no cleft lip.¹

In typical fetal development, the opening in the palate closes between the sixth to the eleventh week of gestation in the womb. For children born with cleft lip and cleft palate conditions, these openings fail to close. Research continues to explore the reasons for this: from genetic predispositions to issues with the mother’s health, there can be a number of factors responsible.

Because of the impact on speech development, oral health, and breathing and chewing function, many children in the United States diagnosed with cleft lip or palate issues undergo corrective surgery in their first year of life. 10 million people across the world are currently impacted by cleft issues, and many of them, particularly in third world countries, have no surgical or medical care available to them.² People living with uncorrected cleft lip and palate issues are at a higher risk for malnutrition.

Craniosynostosis

A newborn baby’s skull has plates which, at birth, are not yet fused together. This allows the baby to pass through the birth canal and also allows for the baby’s brain to have the room it needs for further growth. Sometimes, however, a baby’s skull will fuse too early in the development cycle, or certain plates will fuse before the others. This is a condition known as craniosynostosis, and in the United States, it occurs in about 1 in every 2,500 babies.³

Because this condition can impede brain development and can also put pressure on important components of the brain, most babies in this country have surgeries to correct this condition. If a baby doesn’t have a soft spot at the top of the skull at birth or if the baby’s head does not grow in the coming weeks, that is when a diagnosis of craniosynostosis is made.
At this time, researchers don’t understand why this phenomenon happens. There are some early indicators that certain medications taken by the mother during pregnancy might play a role, but so far studies are inconclusive.

Hemifacial Microsomia

While not as common as cleft lip and palate issues or craniosynostosis, hemifacial microsomia is still a significant issue, with an incidence of 1 in 3,500 to 4,000 born in the U.S. every year.⁴ The impact on a child can range from slight, with a small amount of asymmetry to the facial features, to significant, with challenges with closing the eyes, mouth function, appearance, and more.

This is another condition for which researchers are not yet sure of causation. Generally, this is not an inherited condition. Some children do not require any surgery or further follow up, while others go through extensive surgery and therapy cycles.

How You Can Help

Your awareness of these issues is a great first step. There is still much to be learned about what causes these conditions, the impact on people’s lives, and what preventative steps can be taken. Now that you know about this month’s focus on cleft and craniofacial conditions, take some time to educate yourself more. Visit Children’s Craniofacial Association for resources and opportunities to help. If you’re part of the Altrua HealthShare family, the ministry arm of the health share has donated to Austin Smiles, an non-profit organization that helps provide at no cost cleft lip and palate surgeries. Austin Smiles has been able to help over 5,000 children affected by cleft lip and palate issues. Altrua HealthShare also plans to continue to give back to help with these conditions, building awareness and resources particularly as part of SmileShare, the nation’s first dental sharing program that could be a great fit for you and your family’s dental needs.

¹ https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/cleft-lip-palate#:~:text=The%20Centers%20for%20Disease%20Control,is%20born%20with%20cleft%20palate.
² https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7532935/
³ https://www.cdc.gov/birth-defects/about/craniosynostosis.html#:~:text=Craniosynostosis%20(crane%2Deo%2Dsin,with%20craniosynostosis%20in%20the%20US.
⁴ https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/hemifacial-microsomia#:~:text=Hemifacial%20microsomia%20is%20the%20second,every%203%2C500%20to%204%2C000%20births.