It’s a defect not many parents are prepared to face when their baby is born. But cleft palates occur in 1 in 700 to 1,000 births in the United States making it the fourth most common major birth defect. Cleft palates are birth defects in which the tissues of the mouth or lip do not form properly during fetal development. While there are numerous causes, there are treatment options that may help. Among them is Presurgery Nasal Alveolar Molding, which is now being offered at Providence Memorial Hospital.

Nasoalveolar molding is a non-surgical, passive method of bringing the gum and lip together by re-directing the forces of natural growth. It allows for correction of the flattened nose prior to surgery, and assists in nose repair at the time of lip repair. Parent participation is required in attaching the tapes that hold the molding in place. This technique is usually started during the first two weeks of a baby's life and can last up to six months. While a child with a cleft palate may have to deal with various surgery through his or her life to correct the defect, this procedure may help reduce the number of surgeries.

Without treatment, a baby may face several challenges such as:

• Varying amounts of nasal distortion
• Recurrent ear infections
• Failure to gain weight
• Nasal regurgitations during bottle-feeding
• Growth retardation
• Misaligned teeth
• Poor speech
• Feeding problems

A cleft is a separation in a body structure. Clefts that occur in the oral-facial region often involve the lip, the roof of the mouth (hard palate) or the soft tissue in the back of the mouth (soft palate). Two major types of oral-facial clefts are cleft lip/palate and isolated cleft palate. The causes of cleft lip/palate are not well understood. Studies suggest that a number of genes, as well as environmental factors, such as drugs (including several different antiseizure drugs), infections, maternal illnesses, maternal smoking and alcohol use and, possibly, deficiency of the B vitamin folic acid may be involved.