Prevalence and Evaluation of Environmental Risk Factors Associated With Cleft Lip and Palate in a Central Indian Population.

Purpose: Cleft lip and palate, the most common developmental deformity seen worldwide, may be either genetic or environmental in origin. Recent research clearly shows the inter-relationship between environmental risk factors and development of oral clefts. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of deft lip and palate in the Nagpur region of India and to evaluate environmental risk factors associated with the occurrence of this orofacial abnormality. Methods: The parents of infants born with or without cleft lip and palate were subjected to guestionnaires that elicited sociodemographic profiles and histories of maternal dietary, medical, and environmental risk factors as well family histories of cleft. A multifactorial comparison of environmental risk factors associated with this deformity was performed. Results: The prevalence of cleft lip and palate and cleft palate was found to be 0.66% and 027%, respectively, in the Nagpur region. The results demonstrated a positive association between cleft lip and palate and the environmental risk factors of nutritional deficiency, anemia, and self-administered medications. Conclusion: Several environmental risk factors appear to play an important role in the development of cleft lip and palate in a Central Indian population of low socioeconomic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]