Profile of cleft lip and palate in Karnataka

Background: Cleft lip and/or palate (CL ± P) is common congenital anomalies of the face worldwide. Many studies on this deformity have conducted worldwide, often producing inconsistent results. Aims: To study the clinical and demographic profile of CL ± P in Karnataka. Settings and Design: A hospital-based descriptive study. Subjects and Methods: 2053 CL ± P patients who had come from the Karnataka during the period of 2007–2012 in a Tertiary Care Hospital Karnataka, India. The information regarding sociodemography, clefts pattern, birth order, family history, and consanguinity were collected, and associations of clefts were studied using Chi-square test using SPSS-20 version. Results : Among all cases, 1156 (56.3%) were males and 897 (43.7%) were females. 874 (42.6%), 716 (34.9%), 321 (15.6%), and 142 (6.9%) cases were first, second, third, and fourth and above birth ordered children, respectively. Parents of 959 (46.7%) had consanguineous marriage. Most of the cases, i.e., 1133 (55.2%) had come from the Belgaum district followed by Bagalkot 254 (12.4%), Bijapur 208 (10.1%), and rest were from other districts. Positive family history was found among 26 (1.3%) cases. CL, CL palate, cleft palate, and rare clefts were found to be 452 (22%), 1242 (60.5%), 333 (16.2%), and 26 (1.3%), respectively. Consanguineous marriage and birth order were significantly associated with cleft deformities. Conclusions: Clefts were more prevalent among males. Birth order and consanguinity were significant factors for the causation of cleft deformities.