Micronutrients and oral clefts: a case-control study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutritional Epidemiology
• Teratology

Background:

• Oral clefts (CL ± P) are common birth defects with poorly understood risk factors, especially in developing nations.
• Limited research exists on the impact of maternal micronutrient intake and environmental exposures on oral clefts in Thailand.
• Periconceptional maternal factors are crucial for preventing congenital anomalies like oral clefts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify maternal micronutrient and environmental risk factors for oral clefts in Thailand.
• To investigate the association between maternal multivitamin and liver consumption and CL ± P risk.
• To examine the potential link between menstrual regulation supplements and increased CL ± P risk.

Main Methods:

• A multisite hospital-based case-control study was conducted in Thailand.
• Cases with CL ± P and controls (live births) were recruited from the same hospitals.
• Maternal questionnaires and conditional logistic regression were used to analyze risk factors.

Main Results:

• Maternal vitamin intake was associated with a reduced risk of CL ± P (adjusted OR, 0.39; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.94).
• Maternal liver consumption showed a significant protective effect against CL ± P (adjusted OR, 0.26; 95% CI: 0.12, 0.57).
• Use of menstrual regulation supplements was linked to a higher likelihood of having a child with CL ± P.

Conclusions:

• Maternal vitamin and liver consumption may serve as protective factors against oral clefts.
• Menstrual regulation supplements could be an environmental risk factor for oral clefts.
• Liver consumption presents a potential low-cost primary prevention strategy for oral clefts if findings are replicated.