June 2010

Objective: To determine the prevalence of cleft lip and palate in births taking place in hospitals in the Yazd province, Iran. Method: The records of 65,236 live births delivered at 12 hospitals in Yazd province, including Yazd city and four cities of the states, over a four year period from 2003 to 2006 were examined. Results: Fifty six cases of cleft lip and palate were found, a prevalence of 0.86 per 1,000. Among the fifty six cases, there were seventeen cases (30.4%) of isolated cleft palate; thirteen cases (23.2%) of cleft lip and twenty six cases (46.4%) of cleft lip and palate. No statistically significant difference in the occurrence of cleft lip and palate were observed by the season of the birth, gender of newborn or maternal age. In regard to type of cleft, the prevalence of isolated cleft palate was higher in females than in males (p=0.04). The prevalence of cleft lip was higher in summer than other seasons (p=0.01). Conclusion: The prevalence of cleft lip and palate among live births in Yazd is 0.86 per 1,000 births, that is 1 per 1,163 births. Key words: Cleft lip, cleft lip and palate, isolated cleft palate, prevalence.