Occurrence of oro-facial malformations in a tertiary center hospital of Southern Italy: retrospective study on ten thousand newborns

Congenital anomalies (CA) are one of the major cause of infant mortality and childhood morbitity, affecting 2-3% of all babies. Approximately 1% of these newborns have syndromes or multiple anomalies; Cranio-facial anomalies are often a component part of these pathologies. Several newborns with cranio-facial anomalies are affected by syndromes composed of multiple malformations thought to be etiologically and/ or pathogenetically related. One of the most frequent sign of these syndromes is the cleft lip and/or cleft palate. It is estimated that 30% of cleft cases are syndromic and conversely, therefore, approximately 70% are non-syndromic. Oral clefts are among the most widely known and common craniofacial anomalies, occurring in approximately 1 in every 700 live births. Craniofacial anomalies include jaw deformities, malformed or missing teeth, defects in the ossification of facial or cranial bones, and facial asymmetries. Many factors contribute to cleft conditions, among them being heredity, pre-natal nutrition, drug exposure, and other environmental factors (WHO, 2002). The present study was aimed at evaluating the incidence of fetal oro-facial malformations in a tertiary center hospital of Southern Italy.