Factors Predisposing to Development of Cleft Lip and Palate a Case Control Study

Abstract

Objective: To determine the predisposing risk factors of cleft lip and palate among children in a
tertiary care hospital.
Methods: This case control study was conducted at The Children Hospital and Institute of Child
Health Lahore and included 55 cases and 55 controls. Data was collected using a structured
questionnaire. SPSS 20.0 software was used for data entry and analysis. Analysis included
frequency distributions and proportions for categorical variables and calculating odds ratios
(unadjusted and adjusted) for association between various risk factors and cleft lip. Regression
modeling was done to point out the main contributing factors.
Results: A total of 55 cases and 55 controls were included in the study with mean age of 8.25
months. Maternal illness, cousin marriage, female gender of the child and absence of
supplementation of multivitamins and folic acid during pregnancy were significant risk factors for
the development of cleft lip and palate.
Conclusions: Maternal illness, cousin marriage, female gender of the child and lack of multi-
vitamin and folic acid supplementation during pregnancy were found to have significant
association with the development of cleft lip and palate. In this regard, it is recommended to
improve the status of health education of prospective parents as well as society at large to curtail
the modifiable risk factors viz. cousin marriage and absence of supplementation of multi-vitamins
and folic acid during pregnancy. Better setup for community antenatal care provided by the
concerned authorities may help control the problem