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cleft lip

faces of babies, showing three kinds of cleft lip: incomplete, complete, and complete on both sides

cleft lip is a birth defect that occurs when the tissues of the upper jaw and nose do not join as expected during fetal development, resulting in a split (cleft) in the lip. an incomplete cleft lip can range from a slight indentation to a notch in the upper lip on one or both sides. a complete cleft lip is a deep split in the lip that extends into one or both sides of the nose. cleft lip can be corrected with one or more surgeries.

current as of: october 24, 2023

author: healthwise staff
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