[Prevalence of oral clefts from 1975 to 1994, Brazil].

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of oral clefts in Brazil categorized by etiology and geographical region. METHODS Case reports of oral cleft in newborns in the period 1975 - 1994 were included in the study. Data was collected using the morbidity certificates of the Hospital de Reabilitação de Anomalias Craniofaciais (Craniofacial Abnormalities Rehabilitation Hospital), Ministry of Health data (Datasus), and Fundação Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (Brazilian Census Bureau). RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS There were 16,853 new cases of oral clefts, with a total prevalence of 0.19 per 1,000 births, and there was an increased prevalence every five years. The highest prevalence were observed in the Midwest, southeast, and south regions. As for the studied categories, cleft lip (or the cleft of lip and palate) was seen in 74% of the cases and isolated cleft palate was seen in 26% of them.