Oral clefts and vitamin supplementation

Area of Science:

• Perinatal nutrition
• Congenital anomalies research
• Public health and epidemiology

Background:

• The link between low folic acid levels and orofacial clefting (OFC) is unclear, though folic acid is known to prevent neural tube defects.
• This study investigates the association between maternal vitamin intake and OFC in a Brazilian population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the hypothesis that maternal dietary and supplemental vitamin intake during the periconceptional period and early pregnancy inversely correlates with OFC.
• To examine the protective effects of periconceptional vitamin supplementation against cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL(P)) and isolated cleft palate (CP).

Main Methods:

• A population-based, case-control study was conducted in Brazil.
• Data were collected from mothers of 450 infants with nonsyndromic OFC through structured interviews.
• Case histories included maternal vitamin intake during the periconceptional period and first 4 months of pregnancy.

Main Results:

• Mothers of infants with CL(P) and CP were less likely to have used vitamin supplements during the periconceptional period.
• A statistically significant protective effect of vitamin supplementation was observed for both CP (p < .05) and CL(P) (p < .001).
• Multivariate analysis confirmed the protective association of multivitamin use against both types of OFC.

Conclusions:

• Vitamin supplement use in early pregnancy showed a suggestive protective effect against CP and CL(P) in the studied Brazilian population.
• The findings support the role of periconceptional multivitamin supplementation in preventing OFC.
• Further research is warranted to explore the significance of this association and potential gene/environment interactions.