Cleft lip and palate. Review of the literature

Cleft lip and palate are among the most frequent congenital malformations worldwide. In Latin America, their prevalence is approximately 1 in 1000 live births. The aim of this article to provide specific information on etiology, classification, complications, diagnosis treatment cleft palate. An electronic search was performed in: PubMed, Lilacs, SciELO Google Scholar, following keywords were used for search: "cleft palate", lip", palate" "congenital anomalies" obtained from Decs, related with Boolean operators AND OR. results show that malformation develops within first trimester gestation, during craniofacial development produced by lack fusion between facial prominences, its etiology multifactorial genetic environmental factors, because alteration affects several anatomical structures, should be multidisciplinary avoid various complications occur these children months life. conclusion, it important health professional has previous knowledge able make a timely diagnosis, addition educating pregnant mothers.