ABSTRACT
Objective: To assess the incidence of cleft lip and palate defects in the state of Andhra Pradesh,
India. Design Setting: The study was conducted in 2001 in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The state
has a population of 76 million. Three districts, Cuddapah, Medak and Krishna, were
identified for this study owing to their diversity. They were urban, semi-urban and
rural, respectively. Literacy rates and consanguinity of the parents was elicited
and was compared to national averages to find correlations to cleft births. Type and
side of cleft were recorded to compare with other studies around the world and other
parts of India. Results: The birth rate of clefts was found to be 1.09 for every 1000 live births. This study
found that 65% of the children born with clefts were males. The distribution of the
type of cleft showed 33% had CL, 64% had CLP, 2% had CP and 1% had rare craniofacial
clefts. Unilateral cleft lips were found in 79% of the patients. Of the unilateral
cleft lips 64% were left sided. There was a significant correlation of children with
clefts being born to parents who shared a consanguineous relationship and those who
were illiterate with the odds ratio between 5.25 and 7.21 for consanguinity and between
1.55 and 5.85 for illiteracy, respectively. Conclusion: The birth rate of clefts was found to be comparable with other Asian studies, but
lower than found in other studies in Caucasian populations and higher than in African
populations. The incidence was found to be similar to other studies done in other
parts of India. The distribution over the various types of cleft was comparable to
that found in other studies.
KEY WORDS
Cleft lip & paplate incidence - cleft lip - cleft palate