Sadly, more than 200,000 children are born with cleft lips and cleft palates each year. In fact, every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft condition. Many can't speak. Many can't eat or drink normally. But Operation Smile, Inc., a worldwide medical children's charity based in Norfolk, Virginia, hopes to change that one smile at a time.
Defining Cleft Palates and Cleft Lip
Oral-facial clefts are birth defects in which the tissues of the mouth or lip don't form properly during fetal development. A cleft lip may be accompanied by an opening in the bones of the upper jaw or the upper gum. A cleft palate occurs when the two sides of a palate do not join together, resulting in an opening in the roof of the mouth.
According to the World Health Organization International Collaborative Research on Craniofacial Anomalies, clefts occur in 1 in 700 to 1,000 births in the U.S., making it one of the most common major birth defects.
Most surgeons believe a cleft lip should be repaired by the time a baby is 3 months old, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. To repair the partition of mouth and nose as early as possible, a cleft palate generally is repaired between the ages of 12 and 18 months. Obviously, the success of any surgical procedure is dependent upon a child's health and the severity of the cleft lip or cleft palate.
Making a Difference
Operation Smile boasts one of the world's largest volunteer networks with thousands of medical and non-medical professionals around the world. These volunteers provide thousands of free medical exams and surgeries while restoring dignity and changing lives.
If you'd like to donate your time or make a financial contribution, call 1-888-OPSMILE (888-677-6453) or visit operationsmile.org.