title: The incidence of cleft lip and palate in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cleft lip and cleft palate are among the most common oro-facial anomalies. For various reasons, cleft lip and cleft palate patients have never been given priority by health planners in most African countries including Ethiopia. Lack of data about the incidence of this anomaly might have contributed to the poor understanding and care of these patients in our country.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The main objective of this study is to determine the incidence of cleft lip and palate in Addis Ababa.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective survey carried out between September 1, 2004 and February 28, 2007. Seven health institutions in Addis Ababa giving delivery service were utilized for this study purpose. All live births were evaluated by trained staff for presence of cleft lip and palate anomalies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of live births was 42,986. Sixty-four new cleft lip and palate patients were recorded in the study institutions which gives an incidence of 1.49/1000 live births or 1 in 672 live births. The female:male ratio was 1:0.6. in the cleft lip group, 1:1.8 in the cleft lip and palate group, and 1:0.5 in the cleft palate group. A family history of clefts was recorded in three babies (4.8% of cleft patients), one in cleft lip alone (1.6%) and two in cleft lip and palate (3.1%). In ten of the clefts there were associated anomalies: extremity malformation in five (Syndactyly in two, popliteal webbing polvdactyly and a congenital constricting band), central nervous malformations in three, genital malformation in one and heart anomaly in one tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) echocardiography proved.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence found in this study indicates that cleft is not rare in our country 64 (1.49/1000). As many African babies are born outside hospital the results of a more extensive audit would be valuable.
authors: Yekatit 12 Hospital Burn/CLP project, P.O. Box 17763. mekonene@yahoo.com
authors: Mekonen
authors: M
authors: Eshete
authors: Paul Egil
authors: PE
authors: Gravenm
authors: Thom
authors: T
authors: Topstad
authors: Sisay
authors: S
authors: Befikadu
mesh_terms: D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects