Background: Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) is the most common craniofacial anomaly.
Objective: to determine the incidence of cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) in patients born in the Hospital "Dr. Aurelio Valdivieso" in the city of Oaxaca between 2008 and 2010.
Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study on all live births with non-syndromic orofacial cleft was realized. The variables included were CL/P presence, sex, and birth year. Clinical records of CL/P subjects were reviewed and clefts classified according to Kernahan and Stark. Tables were generated to present data.
Results: The total number of live births (LB) was 24,043 for the 2008 to 2010 period. In 2008, 9 cases (rate 1.01 per 1,000 LB) were identified: 7 boys and 2 girls. In 2009, there were 4 cases (rate 0.54 per 1,000 LB), 3 boys and 1 girl. In 2010, there were 11 cases (rate 1.42 per 1,000 LB), 7 boys and 4 girls. The total for the period 2008-2010 were 24 cases (rate 1.00 per 1,000 LB), 17 boys and 7 girls. Incidence rate was higher among male than among female. As for the distribution according to Kernahan and Stark classification, there were 4 boys and 3 girls in group "C", 10 boys and 4 girls in group "D", and only 3 boys in group "E"; not a single case in groups "A" and "B".
Conclusions: The incidence for the period was 1.00 per 1,000 LB. The CL/P was more frequent in boys for each year included in the study.