Cleft Palate Causes & Risks

Causes

All fetuses have an opening in the lip and palate during early pregnancy. In normal fetal development, these openings close during pregnancy. Failure of one or both of these openings to close results in an oral-facial cleft. The exact cause is not known. Cleft lip occurs alone or in combination with cleft palate in approximately 1 in 750 white births, and cleft palate occurs in approximately 1 in 2,500 white births.

Risk Factors

A risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting a disease or condition.

Risk factors for oral-facial clefts include:

For the infant:
- Having other birth defects
- Sex: males
- Having a sibling, parent, or other close relative born with an oral-facial cleft
  - A geneticist can best define the actual risk, which can vary greatly among families.
  - In general, if one child in a family has a cleft palate, the next child has about a 4% chance of also having a cleft palate. If only the lip has a cleft, the risk of this occurring in a second child is about 2%.
For the mother during pregnancy:
- Taking certain drugs, such as antiseizure drugs (especially phenytoin ) or retinoic acid (used for dermatologic conditions, such as acne )
- Consuming alcohol (especially in the development of a cleft lip)
- Having an illness or infection
- Having folic acid deficiency at conception or during early pregnancy

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Copyright © 2026 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.