Incidence of Natal Teeth and Cleft Lip and Palate among the Newborns in Kerman: A Retrospective Study

Background: Natal teeth and cleft lip and palate are orofacial malformations and important health problems in children. These abnormalities are major causes of parental worry and childhood complications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of natal teeth and cleft lip and palate as well as other facial and cranial abnormalities in newborns in Afzalipour hospital in Kerman, Iran. Methods: All newborns who were born from 2020 to 2021 in Afzalipour Hospital were reviewed and their oral, facial, and cranial abnormalities were recorded in a checklist. The information in the checklist consisted of two parts. The first part contained information about the mother including age, maternal health status before delivery, and type of delivery. The second part included information about the newborn (sex, weight, type of abnormality, and health status of the newborn at birth). The results were analyzed by SPSS 21 software. Results: In this study, 6225 newborns were reviewed, of whom 3015 were born by normal delivery (48.4%) and 3210 by cesarean section (51.6%). Head, cranial, and neck abnormalities and deformities were present in 3 newborns (0.05%), cleft lip and/or palate was present in 3 newborns (0.05%), and natal teeth was present in 2 newborns (0.03%). Three newborns (0.05%) had facial asymmetry. Newborn’s gender, mother’s systemic diseases, and mother’s age were not related with anomalies in the newborn, but newborns with anomalies were significantly heavier than healthy newborns. Conclusion: The prevalence of natal teeth and cleft lip and/or palate is not high in Kerman.