Philadelphia Cleft Palate Lawyers

Cleft lip and cleft palate are oral and facial defects a baby suffers that occur early on in a woman's pregnancy while the infant is still developing. Collectively referred to as oral clefts, these defects result when a baby does not have an adequate amount of tissue in the lip or mouth area, and what tissue is present does not properly join together.

Cleft lip is when there is a separation or split on the two sides of a baby's upper lip, and appears as a gap or narrow opening in the skin of the upper lip. The separation or split can extend past the nose base and may include the upper jaw's bones and/or the upper gum.

Cleft palate is an opening or split in the roof of an infant's mouth. The hard palate (the bony front part of the roof of the mouth) and/or the soft palate (the soft back part of the roof of the mouth) may be involved.

These oral birth defects can occur on just one or both sides of a baby's mouth. Since the palate and the lip develop independently, it is possible for an infant to be born with a cleft palate without a cleft lip, a cleft lip without a cleft palate, or both oral defects together.

According to the March of Dimes, approximately 6,800 babies in the United States are born with oral-facial clefts every year. (This number refers to isolated oral-facial clefts, which indicates the clefts are not accompanied by other birth defects.) Around 4,200 infants are born every year with cleft lip/palate. Oral clefts are more likely to occur in babies of Native American, Latino, or Asian descent. Compared to females, twice as many males are born with cleft lip, both with and without cleft palate. Compared to males, twice as many females have cleft palate without cleft lip.

Infants born with cleft lip or palate may suffer from a variety of problems, including:

• Weight gain failure
• Speech problems
• Recurring ear infections
• Poor growth
• Misaligned teeth
• Feeding difficulties

Causes of Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate

The causes of cleft lip and cleft palate are not well understood. The majority of scientists believe oral clefts are the result of a mixture of environmental and genetic factors. It is also believed that certain medications a pregnant woman may have been taking during the pregnancy may result in an infant being born with an oral birth defect. Drugs that have been linked to possibly causing cleft lip and cleft palate are acne medications that contain Accutane; anti-seizure medications such as Topamax; and methotrexate, a drug used to treat arthritis, cancer, and psoriasis. These oral clefts may also result from exposure to certain chemicals or viruses while a baby is developing in the mother's womb. Maternal alcohol use and smoking are also suspected of being a factor.

Diagnosing Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate

A prenatal ultrasound may sometimes help determine whether an unborn child has an oral cleft. If an oral birth defect has not been detected in an ultrasound prior to the baby's birth, a physical examination of the infant's nose, mouth, and palate can confirm the presence of cleft lip or cleft palate after their birth. In some cases, diagnostic testing can be conducted to rule out or determine whether other abnormalities are present.

If your infant was born with an oral birth defect and your healthcare provider failed to notify you of the dangers associated with any medications you were taking during the pregnancy or other genetic problems present that may have resulted in your baby's oral cleft(s), call the Philadelphia oral cleft birth defect lawyers at Anapol Schwartz. We can help your family receive compensation for your child's suffering. Call our law offices at 866-735-2792 for a free consultation today.

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