title: Parental exposures and risk of nonsyndromic orofacial clefts in offspring: a case-control study in Greece.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between cleft lip and/or palate and nongenetic factors in Greece.
  
  
  METHODS
  We designed a case-control study including 35 patients with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate, retrospectively selected, and 35 control patients matched for prefecture of residence, prospectively selected from pediatric population hospitalized for abdominal pain or injury. Parents were interviewed about drug uptake, diseases, habits, non-occupational exposure to pollutants, and occupation. Questions covered the period from one year before until three months after conception.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High-risk paternal occupations (mostly farmers) were significantly more frequent in cleft lip and/or palate than in controls (p=0.039) and increased significantly the cleft lip and/or palate risk in offspring (OR: 3.00; 95% CI: 1.03-8.70). Maternal occupation did not correlate with cleft lip and/or palate. Parental disease, drugs uptake, hazardous habits, maternal folate supplementation and non-occupational exposure to pollutants did not correlate with cleft lip and/or palate. There was a suggestion of increased risk with maternal passive exposure to tobacco (OR: 1.81; 95% CI: 0.69-4.74) and with residential proximity to industries (OR: 1.70; 95% CI: 0.61-4.74).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Paternal high-risk occupations probably exert a teratogenic effect on spermatogenesis or result in maternal contamination, and deserve specific preventive policies. The relation of smoking and residential proximity to industries with occurrence of cleft lip and/or palate deserves further study.
authors: 2nd Department of Pediatric Surgery, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Medical School, Papageorgiou General Hospital, Ring Road, Nea Efkarpia, 56429 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Mirilas
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Mentessidou
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Kontis
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Asimakidou
authors: B J
authors: BJ
authors: Moxham
authors: A S
authors: AS
authors: Petropoulos
authors: E-N
authors: EN
authors: Emmanouil-Nikolousi
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018812:Paternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances