Demographic distribution and pattern of orofacial clefts in a Nigerian Urban Hospital

Introduction: Clefts lip and palate are the most common deformities in the head-and-neck region. They vary in the severity of presentation from small notches in the lip to clefts that extend through the alveolar ridge in the mouth and involve the floor of the nostrils/palate. They may either occur in isolation (asyndromic) or in association with other congenital anomalies as part of a syndrome as observed. Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective clinic-based study of records of patients seen with orofacial clefts from 2009 to 2014, at the Army Dental Clinic, Bonny Cantonment, Lagos, Nigeria. Results: A total of 43 cases of cleft lip and palate of varying degrees were seen over the study period. There were slightly more males (n = 23, 53.5%) than that of females (n = 20, 46.5%). The age at presentation ranged from 4 days old to 46 years and the median age was 3 years. In terms of age distribution, patients aged 3 years and below (n = 23; 53%) were the most predominant group. This was followed by the 4–7 years (n = 6; 13.9%) age bracket. Patients aged 8–11 years, 12–15 years, and 28–31 years were equally distributed with 3 (6.9%) each. Conclusion: A significant minority of orofacial clefts patients still present in adulthood possibly due to ignorance about treatment options and poverty to access surgical treatment.