Registries of cleft lip/palate cases between 2004 and 2010 in Denizli, Turkey

Oral clefts are one of the most common birth defects in humans. However, few population-based studies of these defects have been carried out in Turkey. Our objective was to determine the registries of cases of cleft lip and palate. All cases of cleft lip and palate referred to central state hospitals in Denizli between January 2000 and May 2010 were investigated retrospectively. Anomalies were determined and classified according to the ICD-10 coding system. A total of 194 cases were identified consisting of 92 females (47.4%), 100 males (51.6%), and 2 subjects of undetermined gender (1%) with an age range of 1 to 65 years. Among the 194 cases, 127 subjects (65.5%) had isolated cleft palate, including 63 females and 64 males; 42 (21.6%) subjects had cleft lip, including 17 females and 25 males; and 25 subjects (12.9%) had cleft lip and palate, including 12 females and 13 males. Studies of oral cleft prevalence are insufficient in Turkey owing to the incompleteness of registries, and the chromosome analysis rate has reached a reasonable level only in recent years.