Cleft Lip and Palate in Norway: I. Registration, Incidence and Early Mortality of Infants with CLP

Abstract

Medical registration of births, including information on congenital malformations in the newborn, was introduced in Norway on January 1, 1967. Matching data from hospital records of patients, born during the years 1967–74 and operated on for CLP, with data from the Medical Birth Registry for the same period revealed that a considerable number of clefts had not been registered at birth. This underreporting amounted to 14.46% of the cleft patients admitted for surgery, and was in the majority of cases due to a failure of filling in the birth reports properly. The number thus missed at birth registration significantly influenced the statistical data obtained from the Medical Birth Registry. The real incidence of CLP in Norway is estimated to be 2.08 per thousand live births, with the following incidence for the main groups of clefts: Cleft lip 0.66, cleft lip and palate 0.77, and cleft palate 0.65 per thousand live births. Of a total of 1 073 cases, 59% were males and 41% females. The incidence of CLP among stillbirths was four per thousand. Mortality within the first month and within the first year of life among CLP infants was 4.90% and 6.54% respectively. Of CLP-infants who died during the first year of life. 80% had congenital malformations other than CLP. In the majority of cases (51.6%) multiple malformations was the main cause of death. Almost half of the deceased children (46.7%) died within 24 hours of delivery, and 82% within three months of delivery.