Demographics and trends of cleft lip and palate patients born in Tennessee from 2000 to 2017

Ryan H Belcher; Siddharth A Patel; Matthew Kynes; James G Carlucci; Erin Hodson; Shilin Zhao; Brittany Lipscomb; Douglas C Heimburger

doi:10.1016/j.ijporl.2022.111312

Demographics and trends of cleft lip and palate patients born in Tennessee from 2000 to 2017

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2022 Dec:163:111312. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2022.111312. Epub 2022 Sep 8.

Authors

Ryan H Belcher¹, Siddharth A Patel², Matthew Kynes³, James G Carlucci⁴, Erin Hodson⁵, Shilin Zhao⁶, Brittany Lipscomb⁷, Douglas C Heimburger⁸

Affiliations

¹ Vanderbilt Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Pediatric Otolaryngology Division, USA; Vanderbilt Pediatric Cleft and Craniofacial Program, USA. Electronic address: ryan.belcher@vumc.org.
² Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, USA.
³ Department of Anesthesia, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, USA.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, USA.
⁵ Tennessee Department of Health, USA.
⁶ Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, USA.
⁷ Vanderbilt Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Pediatric Otolaryngology Division, USA; Surgical Outcomes Center for Kids at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, USA.
⁸ Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, USA; Vanderbilt Institute of Global Health, USA.

PMID: 36257171
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2022.111312

Abstract

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of orofacial clefts (OFCs) in Tennessee over the span of 2000-2017, and evaluate the effects of race/ethnicity, sex, maternal/paternal age and socioeconomic status on the prevalence.

Methods: Records of all live births and demographics of newborns in Tennessee from 2000 to 2017 were requested from the Tennessee Department of Health to calculate the prevalence of OFCs. Data from United States Census was also obtained. Data provided were deidentified.

Results: Tennessee showed a significant decrease in prevalence rates of cleft lip, with and without cleft palate (CL ± P), when comparing the time periods of 2000-2007 to 2008-2017. A significant positive correlation was found with CL ± P prevalence rates in regions with higher Caucasian populations and a negative correlation in regions with higher African American populations. The CP prevalence rates showed a negative correlation with increased median household income.

Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to show a significant negative correlation with median household income and CP prevalence rates. Our study showing an increase in prevalence rates of OFCs with decreased socioeconomic status indicates that the areas of Tennessee with the lowest median household income averages would likely benefit from understanding other possible modifiable factors that are driving this correlation.

Keywords: Cleft lip; Cleft palate; Epidemiology; Orofacial clefts; Public health.

MeSH terms

Cleft Lip* / epidemiology
Cleft Palate* / epidemiology
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Mouth Abnormalities*
Prevalence
Tennessee / epidemiology