Orofacial cleft is one of the commonest congenital abnormalities which impacts negatively on the life of the individual and to a large extent affects the family. Caused by the interaction of environmental and genetic factors, this abnormality brings about decreased quality of life. Management of this abnormality entails a team involving a cleft surgeon, speech therapist, dentist, orthodontists, and so forth. This study involves the review of the various literatures on orofacial clefts, discussing the problems on the genetic basis, associated syndromes, and their management. Counseling of prospective mothers should be promoted to ensure that the abnormality is prevented at the early stages. Education on orofacial clefts should be promoted to create awareness on its preventive measures. Much attention must be geared towards cleft genetics studies to identify potential risk factors which might be predisposing individuals to the anomaly. 1. Introduction Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are common congenital malformations of the lip, palate, or both caused by complex genetic and environmental factors [1]. OFC may involve the lip, the roof of the mouth (hard palate), or the soft tissue in the back of the mouth (soft palate). OFC also involves structures around the oral cavity which can extend onto the facial structures resulting in oral, facial, and craniofacial deformity [2]. A cleft lip/palate may impact negatively on an individual’s self-esteem, social skills, and behaviour especially among girls [3, 4]. Generally, boys are affected more than girls with a ratio of about 3？:？2 [5]. Males are more likely than females to have a cleft lip with or without cleft palate, while females are at a slightly greater risk for cleft palate alone [6, 7]. Since facial mesenchyme is derived from neural crest, it is postulated that periconceptional folic acid supplementation may reduce the occurrence of offspring with orofacial clefts [8]. Zinc also is important in fetal development, and deficiency of this nutrient causes isolated cleft palate and other malformations in animals; other nutrients such as riboflavin and vitamin A are also essential [9]. Preventive efforts might entail manipulation of maternal lifestyle, improved diet and use of multivitamin and mineral supplements, avoidance of certain drugs and medicines, and general awareness of social, occupational, and residential risk factors [2]. Genetic Basis of Orofacial Clefts. Genetic inheritance means that a child’s features are “inherited” or passed from parent to child [10]. There are two types of inheritance: the
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