Prevalence of Cleft Lip and/or Palate in the Venezuelan Maternal and Child Health Care Program from 2018 to 2024.

Abstract

Aims: Determine the prevalence of cleft lip and/or palate in patients treated in the maternal and child health care program from 2018 to 2024. Design and Setting: Observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. Patients: A review of medical records was carried out, consisting of 559 patients, which allowed quantifying the types of malformations. Results: They demonstrate an increasing number of patients treated over the years; it is not possible to know if this reflects an increase in births of children with malformations or the effect of access to timely and public care. Conclusions: The results highlight higher prevalence in vulnerable populations for different causes, multifactorial nature of the etiology, and the need to maintain an early detection program to reduce the burden derived from the malformation.