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1 in every 700 babies is born with a cleft globally.
Smile Train is the world’s largest cleft-focused organisation, with a sustainable and local model of supporting surgery and other forms of essential, comprehensive care. Since 1999, Smile Train have supported safe and quality cleft care for 2+ million children. Smile Train provides training and financial support for the treatment of clefts, empowering medical professionals around the world to treat cleft patients with life-changing surgery and related comprehensive cleft care that they would not otherwise be able to access.
Donations are divided equally among both organizations.
What is Cleft Lip?
The lip forms between the fourth and seventh weeks of pregnancy. As a baby develops during pregnancy, body tissue and special cells from each side of the head grow toward the centre of the face and join together to make the face. This joining of tissue forms the facial features, like the lips and mouth. A cleft lip happens if the tissue that makes up the lip does not join completely before birth. This results in an opening in the upper lip. The opening in the lip can be a small slit or it can be a large opening that goes through the lip into the nose. A cleft lip can be on one or both sides of the lip or in the middle of the lip, which occurs very rarely. Children with a cleft lip can also have a cleft palate.
What is Cleft Palate? The roof of the mouth (palate) is formed between the sixth and ninth weeks of pregnancy. A cleft palate happens if the tissue that makes up the roof of the mouth does not join together completely during pregnancy. For some babies, both the front and back parts of the palate are open. For other babies, only part of the palate is open.
Children with cleft lip and/or cleft palate face a variety of challenges, depending on the type and severity of the cleft.
Difficulty feeding - One of the most immediate concerns after birth is feeding. This is because air leaks from the mouth through the cleft into the nose during feeding. The lack of suction makes it difficult and for some babies, impossible to breastfeed.
Difficulty swallowing - Potential for liquids or foods to come out the nose.
Ear infections and hearing loss. Babies with cleft palate are especially at risk of developing middle ear fluid and hearing loss.
Dental problems - If the cleft extends through the upper gum, tooth development may be affected.
Speech difficulties - Because the palate is used in forming sounds, the development of normal speech can be affected by a cleft palate. Speech may sound too nasal.
Challenges of coping with a medical condition - Children with clefts may face social, emotional and behavioural problems due to differences in appearance and the stress of intensive medical care.
Management and Treatment
Surgery to repair a cleft lip usually occurs in the first few months of life and is recommended within the first 12 months of life. Surgery to repair a cleft palate is recommended within the first 18 months of life or earlier if possible. Many children will need additional surgical procedures as they get older. Surgical repair can improve the look and appearance of a child’s face and might also improve breathing, hearing, and speech and language development. Children born with orofacial clefts might need other types of treatments and services, such as special dental or orthodontic care or speech therapy.
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