Related Experiment Videos
Birth order and oral clefts: a meta analysis
Alexandre R Vieira1, Iêda M Orioli
1Department of Pediatrics, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA. alexandre-vieira@uiowa.edu
Teratology
|October 25, 2002
Summary
Children born later in the family have an increased risk of orofacial clefts, including cleft lip/palate (CL/P and CP). This risk significantly rises with higher birth order.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Genetics and Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Late birth order is linked to some complex disorders.
- The association between birth order and orofacial clefts lacks consensus.
- A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate this association.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if higher birth order increases the risk of oral clefts.
- To analyze existing data on birth order and cleft lip/palate (CL/P) and cleft palate (CP).
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of published data on CL/P and CP cases.
- Inclusion of live birth frequency and cases by birth order (1, 2, 3, 4+).
- Birth order '1' set as the baseline risk (OR = 1.0).
Main Results:
- Higher birth order is associated with increased CL/P and CP risk.
- Odds ratios for oral clefts escalate with birth order.
- Peak odds ratio of 3.0 observed for birth order '4 or more'.
Conclusions:
- Oral cleft occurrence, including CL/P and CP, correlates with increasing birth order.
- Further research is needed to confirm the association.
- Future studies should consider factors like socioeconomic status, race, and parental age.