Cleft lip is the separation of the two sides of the upper lip that appear as an opening. It can extend beyond the base of the nose and include the bones of the upper jaw.
Experts have found that poor diet among pregnant women is the leading cause of cleft lips in children in East Africa.
Prof Meshach Ong’uti, a leading cleft palate surgeon, says when a pregnant woman is malnourished, it affect proper growth of the unborn child.
Cleft lip is the separation of the two sides of the upper lip that appear as an opening. It can extend beyond the base of the nose and include the bones of the upper jaw.
Early stage
Prof Ong’uti, chief executive officer of Help a Child Smile Tomorrow foundation, said there are many cases of this kind of deformity in East Africa because mothers do not take good care of their pregnancies, especially during early stage.
“In every station we go to perform the smile training or surgery be it in Kenya, Uganda or Zambia, we deal with over 50 patients,” he said.
“Malnutrition is a well-documented problem associated with cleft lip and palate. Most of the mothers should be given folic acids and feed on food rich in Vitamin A.”
He said apart from malnutrition, the deformity could also be caused by environmental pollution, consumption of alcohol, smoking cigarettes during pregnancy and genetics.
“Most mothers with malnutrition live in deplorable conditions using charcoal and firewood in the house with very poor ventilation. Smoke can affect development of the child in early pregnancy,” said Prof Ong’uti.
Prof Ong’uti said another cause of cleft lip that cuts across East African countries is early pregnancies. Young girls consume alcohol and drugs interfering with the development of the baby.
