EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY OF CLEFT PALATE IN THE STATE OF BAHIA, BRAZIL

Abstract

The non-syndromic cleft palate (NSCP) is a common congenital defect in humans. This work has aimed to perform a descriptive epidemiological study of patients with NSCP in the State of Bahia, Brazil. A questionnaire was applied to patients and/or parents at three reference centres for treatment of craniofacial anomalies. Of the 135 patients with NSCP, 60% were female and 40% male. Blacks and mulattos were predominant. The most common systemic disorder was otologic findings. The average age of the surgery was 5 years and 2 months with a percentage of 74.8% operated. With regard to the mothers, 16.3 % consumed alcoholic beverages and 12.6 % smoked. The most cited vitamin supplementation was folic acid. Contact with chemicals involved 20.7 % of the fathers and 14.9 % of the mothers. The most frequent mother’s age gestational ranged between 15 and 25 years old. The results showed that the frequency of children with NSCP in the State of Bahia is related to the location of the reference centres. Younger mothers gave birth to cleft palate children even despite using vitamin supplementation. Although no surgical procedure has been performed at an ideal age, the majority of the children with cleft palate were submitted to surgical repair.