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Why Do Babies Get Cleft Palates?

A cleft palate or lip is a type of birth defect. Cleft lips or palates occur in one out of every 700 to 1,000 births. Cleft palates are more common in girls, while cleft lips occur more often in the male gender. There are a number of potential causes for these birth defects.

  1. Tissue Formation

    • During pregnancy the fetus develops tissue that shapes the mouth and lips. In some cases, however, a baby will not develop enough tissue to form the mouth or lips, resulting in a cleft lip or palate.

    Heredity

    • Cleft palates or cleft lips are more common among some cultural groups, including children from Native American, Latino or Asian cultures. Cleft palates or lips are also more likely to occur when babies have at least one parent that has had a cleft palate or lip.

    Genes

    • One or both of the parents must carry the gene for the birth defect for the baby to develop a cleft lip or palate due to a gene. The Mayo Clinic states that when the gene is present one of the outside environmental factors that awaken that gene must then be evident; however, Medical News Today indicates that research suggests that mutated genes may affect whether or not a baby develops a cleft palate without the presence of environmental issues to trigger it.

    Drugs and Alcohol

    • Babies that are exposed to illegal drug use by the mother, alcohol or some medications may be more likely to develop a cleft lip or palate in the womb. In addition, smoking by the mother and some viruses obtained by the mother during pregnancy can impact genes that cause a cleft palate or lip. This will generally occur in the first three months of pregnancy as tissues are forming.

    Nutrition

    • The Mayo Clinic indicates that the nutrition of the mother may have an affect on the development of a cleft palate or lip. This includes a deficiency in the nutrient folic acid. Studies by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have shown that folic acid reduces the occurrence of some birth defects in populations that have high numbers of babies born with cleft palates or cleft lips. Therefore, the studies claim that an increase in folic acid as an oral vitamin or through regular nutrition serves to prevent or reduce the severity of cleft lips or palates in babies.

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