title: Non-syndromal orofacial clefts in the Canterbury/West Coast region during the 2000-2009 period.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the incidence and ethnic characteristics of orofacial clefting in the Canterbury/West Coast region over the ten-year period 2000-2009 and compare it with previously-reported data.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis of case-series data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cleft clinic, Oral Health Centre, Christchurch Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  All babies born in the Canterbury/West Coast region from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2009 with a non-syndromal orofacial cleft were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The calculated incidence of non-syndromal orofacial clefts was 1.69 per thousand live births, comprising 0.85 for cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL[P]) and and 0.84 for isolated cleft palate (CP). The earlier 40-year data estimated an incidence of 1.94 per thousand live births made up of 1.13 CL[P] and 0.81 CP. Maori and non-Maori had a similar incidence of CL[P]; however, it appears that Maori had a much higher incidence of CP than non-Maori (incidence of 1.35 and 0.88 per thousand live births respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of CL[P] has decreased while that of CP has remained constant. The incidence of CP in Maori is higher than in non-Maori.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Dunedin.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.forename: Peter V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Fowler
mesh_terms: D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data