A racial comparison of cleft patients in a clinic population: associated anomalies and recurrence rates

Clinical files of 22 black and 88 white cleft palate patients, under 16 years of age, were studied. Data on the distribution of cleft types, associated birth defects and recurrence rates were obtained for the two racial groups and analyzed through the use of the X2 test. It was found that blacks had a significantly higher (p less than .005) rate of associated birth defects when compared to whites. No significant differences were found in recurrence rates between the racial groups.