Cleft Lip: A Multidisciplinary Team Brings Well-being and Quality of Life to the Child

This month I bring a topic that can concern many parents: cleft lip. It consists of a congenital deformity caused by the incomplete closure of the lips during gestation.

Cleft lip is often associated with cleft palate, which consists of a deformity of the palate, composed of structures that form the roof of the mouth and the floor of the nasal cavity.

This closure occurs between the fourth and 12th week of life, with the most critical period being between the fourth and sixth week. Therefore, diagnosis is already possible through morphological ultrasound, performed between the 11th and 14th week of gestation.

Cleft lip can have a genetic cause, but it is also associated with smoking and the use of medications during pregnancy such as: phenytoin, phenobarbital, isotretinoin, corticosteroids, and others.

This condition can present in different degrees, unilateral or bilateral, affecting only the lip, only the palate, or both.

This failure in lip and palate closure can lead to changes in the nose, hearing changes with recurrent ear infections, changes in chewing and eating, with dental deformities, speech and phonation difficulties, and can even cause respiratory changes. In a few cases, it is associated with other genetic syndromes with other alterations.

Because it can present various alterations, the child should have multidisciplinary follow-up, including specialists in Plastic Surgery, Speech Therapy, Otorhinolaryngology, Dentistry, and Psychology. The treatment is prolonged and may require several surgical stages. Therefore, it requires patience and dedication, and depends on the complete development of the face, which occurs between 17 and 18 years of age. 

If you are a mother or father reading this article with a child diagnosed with this condition, the first step is to obtain quality information from reliable sources. Talk to your doctor and remain calm, as treatment has evolved significantly, and it is now possible to provide quality of life and well-being to children in this condition.

*Dr. Fernando Amato is a plastic surgeon, a full member of the Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Plástica, a member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).