Child’s Cleft Palate – Everything You Need To Know

The palate, or palate, delimits the oral cavity above it and separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. Various deformities can develop in the hard part of the mouth, the most common of which is the cleft palate.

This congenital malformation can make it difficult to eat and drink and cause bite defects due to abnormal development of the jaw and dental arches.

The cleft palate is often mixed with the cleft lip. Both problems are due to a fetal developmental disorder. Cleft lip may also be associated with cleft palate. About one-fifth of the split patients also have other malformations.

The cleft palate is in the midline of the mouth and extends into the area of ​​the soft mouth or the soft and hard mouth. In the cleft lip, the lip is underdeveloped and missing a part. The slit is usually partial and one-sided. There are very few complete cuts that cut through the entire lip and gum.

Both ailments require surgical treatment to correct the problem and avoid complications.

Cleft palate and its causes

Cleft lip and palate are the most common congenital malformations in Finland. In fact, cleft palate occurs most in Finland in the world, and in our country about one child in five hundred is born with a cleft.

A fissure occurs when the tissues of the lip and mouth do not connect properly. The head of the fetus develops in early pregnancy, and the right and left sides of the face merge. If this development is disturbed, the child may develop deformities.

Both hereditary factors and external disturbances during the first trimester of pregnancy contribute to fissure formation. Exposure of the fetus to the harms of maternal smoking in the first trimester of pregnancy also increases the risk of splitting. In addition, certain medications used to treat seizures, cancers, arthritis, and acne are associated with an increased risk of cracking.

Experts have not ruled out the possibility that exposure to certain chemicals or viruses will trigger this type of developmental disorder.

There are about 350 syndromes known to cause cleft palate, among other symptoms. One of these is Van Der Woude syndrome, which is associated with changes in the IRF6 and GRHL3 genes. If an aberrant form of the gene associated with the syndrome has been identified in the family, a prenatal diagnosis may be possible.

Diagnosis of cleft palate

If the tissues of the lip and mouth do not connect properly during pregnancy, a fissure may form in the baby’s mouth. A fissure may form in the hard palate area of ​​the front of the mouth or in the soft mouth, i.e., the palate sail, behind the hard palate. The slit can extend up to the nasal cavity or damage the lips.

Unlike a cleft lip, a cleft palate can be difficult to identify during pregnancy because it does not show up on ultrasound scans. This means that the doctor is not aware of the baby’s cleft palate before he or she is born.

The slit can be very small or form a large hole that causes problems breathing, feeding the child, and communicating.

The most acute problem is that the newborn may not be able to suckle normally, which may slow down the baby’s weight development. The baby’s drinking milk may come out through the nose, causing the baby to spit. This also increases the risk of suffocation.

If your baby has a cleft palate, parents can use a special baby bottle developed for the problem while waiting for surgery to take place.

Complications related to cleft palate

Due to a cleft palate, a child’s jaws and arches may not develop normally, leading to bite defects. In addition, deformities of the oral area very often cause speech problems. Because the middle ears cannot be properly ventilated due to the split, the child may suffer from the adhesive ear.

These complications can cause emotional and psychological problems that require the help of a psychologist. If the slit extends to the lip, the problem is visible from above.

Despite all this, it is important to keep in mind that this is not a disease. With proper care, a child born with a cleft palate will be able to live a completely normal life.

It is recommended that the child be held in an elevated position until corrective surgery to keep the child’s nose clean and that there is no risk of the child suffocating on their own vomiting.

Cleft palate repair surgery

In Finland, cleft lip repair is performed when the child is about three months old and cleft palate is repaired at about nine months of age.

Soft palate correction surgery to improve speech is usually located at the age of 3 to 6 years, and the remnant of the palate and bone defect in the tooth ridge are repaired a few years later, with the child being about 8 to 10 years old.

The aim of the treatment is to achieve not only the most natural appearance possible, but also normal speech and bite, as well as healthy ears. The treatment of fissures usually involves experts from many fields, from plastic surgeons and dentists to speech therapists and ear doctors.

In some cases, the slit may not be completely closed, in which case the patient may be advised to use the necessary prosthesis.

Is it possible to prevent the development of a cleft palate? Adhering to a healthy lifestyle and taking the necessary supplements – vitamin A and folic acid – during pregnancy can help. But because it is a congenital ailment with many causes, it is difficult to avoid.

The key is to understand that this is not a problem that threatens the life of the child, and there are a variety of treatments for the affliction.