title: Birth prevalence of non-syndromic orofacial clefts in Saudi Arabia and the effects of parental consanguinity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the characteristics and prevalence of non-syndromic orofacial clefting (NSOFC) and assess the effects of parental consanguinity on NSOFC phenotypes in the 3 main cities of Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  All infants (114,035) born at 3 referral centers in Riyadh, and 6 hospitals in Jeddah and Madinah between January 2010 and December 2011 were screened. The NSOFC cases (n=133) were identified and data was collected through clinical examination and records, and information on consanguinity through parent interviews. The diagnosis was confirmed by reviewing medical records and contacting the infants' pediatricians. Control infants (n=233) matched for gender and born in the same hospitals during the same period, were selected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of NSOFC was 1.07/1000 births in Riyadh, and 1.17/1000 births overall; cleft lip (CL) was 0.47/1000 births, cleft lip and palate (CLP) was 0.42/1000 births, and cleft palate (CP) was 0.28/1000 births. Cleft palate was significantly associated with consanguinity (p=0.047, odds ratio: 2.5, 95% confidence interval: 1 to 6.46), particularly for first cousin marriages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The birth prevalence of NSOFC in Riyadh alone, and in the 3 main cities of Saudi Arabia were marginally lower than the mean global prevalence. While birth prevalence for CLP was comparable to global figures, the CL:CLP ratio was high, and only CP was significantly associated with consanguinity.
authors: Division of Oral Health Sciences, Dundee Dental School, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom. E-mail. hjsabbagh@gmail.com.
authors: Heba J
authors: HJ
authors: Sabbagh
authors: Nicola P
authors: NP
authors: Innes
authors: Bahauddin I
authors: BI
authors: Sallout
authors: Najlaa M
authors: NM
authors: Alamoudi
authors: Mustafa A
authors: MA
authors: Hamdan
authors: Nasir
authors: N
authors: Alhamlan
authors: Amaal I
authors: AI
authors: Al-Khozami
authors: Fatma D
authors: FD
authors: Abdulhameed
authors: Jumana Y
authors: JY
authors: Al-Aama
authors: Peter A
authors: PA
authors: Mossey
mesh_terms: D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003241:Consanguinity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D015995:Prevalence; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology