What are cleft lips and palates?

Cleft lips and palates are common orofacial birth defects. The affected baby is born with an opening in the lip or the palate (roof of the mouth). The conditions often lead to nutritional defects, frequent infections and difficulties with speech, as well as a loss of confidence among patients.

A cleft lip can be surgically repaired in the hospital after a child is six months of age. If the cleft lip is wide, special procedures like lip adhesion or a moulding plate device might help bring the parts of the lip closer together before the lip is fully repaired.

A cleft palate can usually be corrected after children turn a year old. Plastic surgeons connect the muscles of the soft palate and rearrange the tissues to close the cleft. This surgery requires general anaesthesia and a short hospital stay for recovery.

Some children may go on to need follow-up surgeries and dental treatment as they grow, or may require speech therapy.

The corrective surgeries that children with cleft conditions require are often too expensive for families. In the UAE, for instance, one such procedure can cost between Dh10,000 and Dh70,000.

“This is where Operation Smile comes in,” CromeyHawke said. To date, the charity has provided more than 240,000 free surgeries to children around the world.

Hopeful parents