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Objectives: to describe the frequency of types of lesions in patients with cleft lip and/or palate, in order to confirm the association between demographic factors and cleft lesions and to identify the factors associated with age on first receiving specialized medical attention. Methods: a case-series study was conducted with 1,216 children aged ⩽10 years with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate. They were being treated at the Facial Deformity Care Center at the Professor Fernando Figueira General Medical Center from January 2002 to December 2005. Data were obtained form a secondary dataset belonging to this Center. Results: the prevalence of clefts was higher among males (5 7.4%). Most of them came from Recife Metropolitan area. About half (48.9%) were aged ⩾24 months when they first received a specialized medical consultation. A higher percentage of children whose first specialized medical care occurred at an age of less than one year was found for the Agreste and Sertào regions. Around 55% of children with submucosa cleft first received care at an age greater than five years. Conclusions: it was observed that the overall distribution of clefts accords with that presented. in the literature. There is a need for a greater knowledge on the part of health professionals to allow them to provide adequate care and diagnose clefts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]