Birth prevalence and characteristics of cleft lip and/or palate in dubai health public hospitals, 2018–2025: a retrospective hospital-based study
Abstract
Population-based data on cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) in the United Arab Emirates are limited, and no longitudinal estimate is available for Dubai. To estimate hospital-based birth prevalence among births recorded in Dubai Health public hospitals during 2018–2025 and describe cleft groups and case characteristics. This retrospective study included live births and stillbirths recorded at Dubai Hospital, Latifa Hospital, and Hatta Hospital. The Dubai Health Data & Insights Team identified potential cases through an electronic health record query for International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision categories Q35–Q37. Investigators reviewed records and mapped documented diagnoses to four mutually exclusive analytical groups. Birth prevalence and exact Poisson 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated per 1,000 total births. Case characteristics were summarized descriptively; temporal change was assessed by Poisson regression with annual births as offset. Among 46,418 births, 97 CL/P cases were identified, giving a hospital-based birth prevalence of 2.09 per 1,000 total births (95% CI 1.69–2.55). Cleft palate without lip involvement was the most frequent group (48/97, 49.5%; 1.03 per 1,000), followed by cleft lip without palate involvement (22/97, 22.7%; 0.47 per 1,000), unilateral cleft lip and palate or CLP not otherwise specified (19/97, 19.6%; 0.41 per 1,000), and bilateral cleft lip and palate (8/97, 8.2%; 0.17 per 1,000). Annual prevalence ranged from 1.09 to 2.90 per 1,000; no statistically significant linear trend was detected (rate ratio per year 1.07, 95% CI 0.98–1.17; p = 0.122). Twenty-nine cases (29.9%) had a documented associated diagnosis or finding. Restriction to the 68 cases without a documented associated diagnosis or finding yielded 1.46 per 1,000 (95% CI 1.14–1.86). Cleft-group comparisons were exploratory and limited by small strata. This study provides an eight-year baseline for Dubai Health public hospitals, not an emirate-wide estimate. Integrated public- and private-sector surveillance is needed to estimate population-level birth prevalence and plan multidisciplinary care.