Conditions We Treat Cleft-Lip

Cleft-Lip

A cleft lip is a congenital disability characterized by an opening or split on the upper lip. There are two kinds of cleft lip: unilateral, when an opening or split occurs on only one side of the mouth, and bilateral, when the opening or separation occurs on both sides.

A cleft lip is thought to be influenced by the interaction of the mother and father’s genetic and environmental factors.

  • 1 in 700 babies is born with cleft lip and palate worldwide.1
  • 94% of those children come from low- and middle-income countries.2

1 https://www.smiletrain.org/what-are-clefts
2https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352004699_Cleft_Lip_andor_Palate_and_Associated_Risks_in_Lower-Middle-Income_Countries_A_Systematic_Review

If Not Treated

If Not Treated

Without medical intervention, babies born with cleft lip and palate could have difficulties eating, drinking, speaking, and hearing. 

Children with disabilities often experience stigma and discrimination, leading to poor self-confidence and isolation.

Treatment

Treatment

While the healing process after a cleft surgery isn’t long, the long-term healing and follow-up care continue throughout a child’s life. Doctors monitor the child for any changes in their speech that might require therapy or additional surgery. As children grow, they might need additional surgeries, including orthodontic work. Regular check-ups and possible surgeries can continue until adulthood.

Before

Children like Zane rely on the support and generosity of people like you to receive surgery and comprehensive care offered at CURE hospitals.

We treat cleft lip at CURE Children’s Hospitals in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Philippines, and Zambia.

After

Children like Zane rely on the support and generosity of people like you to receive surgery and comprehensive care offered at CURE hospitals.

We treat cleft lip at CURE Children’s Hospitals in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Philippines, and Zambia.

“If a child is born with a cleft palate, it’s perhaps the most risky and devastating in terms of their health because they're unable to breastfeed. A child in a developing country who can't breastfeed, that's a real risk. Many children can actually die of malnutrition. Also, they're much more at risk of getting chest infections because everything gets mixed up inside the mouth. A child with a cleft lip doesn't have any functional problems, but it's a terrible facial disfigurement. So, that will have a big effect on the child and their family as they grow up. Every parent wants their child to be perfect and beautiful, and it can have a devastating effect when they have a child who's born with a cleft lip and palate, to the point that some of them may even abandon their child. As the child grows with their cleft palate and they start to try to speak, then they are unable to. So, a child with a cleft palate that cannot speak clearly can lead to huge disability for them with problems socializing and big problems going to school. Often they end up not going to school because they get teased or bullied at school.”

Help Kids Heal from Cleft-Lip