TITLE:
Epidemiology and Clinical Presentation of Cleft Lip and Palate in Brazzaville
AUTHORS:
Bredel Djeri Djor Mabika, Gerald Children Ngouoni, Lysette Marie Ngoua Essininguele, Nelly Yvette Ngakeni, Christ Bamboula, Gontran Ondzotto
KEYWORDS:
Facial Malformations, Cleft Lip and Palate, Cooking Smoke, Associated Anomalies, Malnutrition, Ear Infections
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.16 No.2,
March
23,
2026
ABSTRACT: Objective: This paper aims to report on the epidemiological aspects and clinical presentations of cleft lip and palate in Brazzaville. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection was conducted in the Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of the Brazzaville University Hospital over a period of six (6) years, from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2025. Facial malformations treated in the department with usable medical records were included. Results: 175 malformations were admitted, including 164 cleft lip and palate cases, representing 93.7% of facial malformations. The median age at the first consultation was 1 month, with extremes ranging from 1 day to 24 years. Boys accounted for 54.9% of cases, compared with 45.1% for girls. The diagnosis was made postnatally in 98.2% of cases, compared with 1.8% antenatally. Continuous exposure to cooking smoke was found in 69.5% of cases. The clinical aspects were varied, with cleft lip and palate in 50.6% of cases, cleft lip and palate in 41.5% of cases, and cleft palate in 8% of cases. Several clinical consequences were found, including eating disorders (90.9%), malnutrition (61%), phonation disorders (49.4%) and recurrent ear infections (27.4%). Conclusion: The majority of patients are predominantly male children born to parents with low socioeconomic status, exposed to cooking smoke during pregnancy, and presenting mainly with cleft lip, followed by cleft lip and palate.