Cleft lip and palate. Review of the literature

Cleft lip and palate are among the most frequent congenital malformations worldwide.  In Latin America, their prevalence is approximately 1 in 1000 live births. The aim of this article is to provide specific information on the etiology, classification, complications, diagnosis and treatment of cleft lip and palate. An electronic search was performed in: PubMed, Lilacs, SciELO and Google Scholar, the following keywords were used for the search: "cleft palate", "cleft lip", "cleft lip and palate" "congenital anomalies" obtained from Decs, and related with Boolean operators AND and OR. The results show that the malformation develops within the first trimester of gestation, during craniofacial development and is produced by the lack of fusion between the facial prominences, its etiology is multifactorial and is related to genetic and environmental factors, and because this alteration affects several anatomical structures, its treatment should be multidisciplinary to avoid various complications that occur in these children during their first months of life. In conclusion, it is important that the health professional has previous knowledge and is able to make a timely diagnosis, in addition to educating pregnant mothers.