RESUMO
The cleft lip and palate deformity is one of the most common type of congenital abnormalities. The aim of this paper is to summarise the literature knowledge about cleft lip and/or palate. The authors review and discuss international literature data on the prevention, genetic and environmental predisposing factors, anatomical and embryological features, as well as pre- and post-natal diagnosis and treatment of these deformities. The aetiology is multifactorial, driven by both genetic and environmental factors which lead to multifaceted phenotypes and clinical features of these malformations. The lack of the multidisciplinary knowledge about prenatal diagnosis, prevention, genetic aspects and treatment strategy could result in serious diagnostic errors, hence clinical teamwork is critically important to solve the problems of this pathology. Only the professional teamwork and multidisciplinary cooperation can guarantee the optimal level of health care and better quality of life for these patients and their families.