Epidemiological profile of orofacial cleft in Northern Iraq : 24 years experience

الملخص EN

Objective : To determine the epidemiological profile and associated congenital anomalies of pediatric patients with orofacial cleft (cleft lip and / or palate) in Northern Iraq.

Methods : A retrospective, hospital-based study was conducted on children with cleft lip and / or palate who have been referred to the Plastic Surgery Unit, Al-Jumhoori Teaching Hospital in Mosul, Iraq, between January 1987 and December 2010.

Clinical features including demographic data, types of cleft, associated anomalies and family history of clefts were recorded.

Results : A total of 1604 children with orofacial cleft were seen during study period, males out number females among cleft lip with or without cleft palate, while the reverse was true concerning cleft palate.

Two fifth of cases (41.8 %) had isolated cleft lip, 20.4 % had isolated cleft palate and 37.8 % presented with combined cleft lip and palate.

One third of cases (30.9 %) had a family history of clefts.

Congenital malformations other than orofacial cleft were found in 8 % of cases.

Family history was significantly more prevalent in cleft lip with or without cleft palate group than those with isolated cleft palate in a highly significant way (p = 0.001).

Conclusions : This is among the foremost reports in Northern Iraq, describing the epidemiological profile of orofacial clefts.

The pattern of cleft observed in this study does not differ significantly from those reported in the literature for Asian, white and Arab populations.