UVA School of Medicine

An oral-facial cleft is a birth defect that occurs when the lip or the roof of the mouth do not form properly. The defect may include a cleft lip, a cleft palate or both.

A cleft lip is a gap in the upper lip, usually just below the nose. A cleft palate is a gap in the roof of the mouth or in the soft tissue at the back of the mouth. In the majority of cases, a cleft lip and cleft palate occur together.

• Jonathan S. Black, MD
• Kathleen A. Borowitz, MD
• Stephen V. Early, MD
• Thomas, J. Gampper, MD
• William G. Horbaly, DDS, MS, MDS