The incidence of cleft lip and palate in the Czech Republic in 1994-2008.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the incidence of nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate in the Czech Republic among infants born during 1994-2008 as well as to define the ratio per live births and sex ratios. Another aim was to determine whether there was any trend in the incidence in this time period.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

Prague Center for the Treatment of Congenital Facial Anomalies.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Data were collected from the National Birth Defects Register (Institute of Health Information and Statistics), the Czech Statistical Office and the Czech Health Statistics Yearbooks. The incidence, ratios per live births and sex differences were calculated. Possible trends in the data series were investigated.

RESULTS

Totally 2417 infants with a cleft defect were found among 1 471 789 newborns in time period 1994-2008. The overall incidence was 1.64 per 1000 live births or 1 in 600 live births. The incidence of cleft lip was 0.39/1000, the incidence of cleft palate was 0.68/1000 and the incidence of cleft lip and palate was 0.57/1000. The ratio per live births was 1 in 2648 in cleft lip, 1 in 1801 in cleft lip and palate and 1 in 1505 in cleft palate. The incidence was much higher among male babies in cleft lip patients (male to female ratio 2.07) and in patients with cleft lip and palate (males to females ratio 1.85). The male to female ratio in cleft palate newborns was 0.92. No traceable trend was found in the incidence.

CONCLUSIONS

In the Czech Republic, every year approximately 170 infants with cleft lip and/or palate were born, the incidence was 1.64 per 1000 live born infants during considered period. Males were affected more frequently with isolated cleft lip and cleft lip and palate, on the other hand, in cleft palate patients, there was a slight dominance of females. Further long-term studies are necessary in order to elucidate reasons of the oscillations in incidence of cleft anomalies, to identify possible teratogens and to give a starting indication for planning health service resource requirements for this group of affected infants (Tab. 3, Fig. 4, Ref. 51).