RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between periconceptional environmental exposures and the occurrence of cleft lips and palates. METHODS: This case-control study analyzed 150 mothers of children with cleft lips and palates living in the same city as 250 mothers whose children did not present with this malformation (controls). Environmental exposure data were gathered through a questionnaire (Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations methodology). RESULTS: Multivariate analysis revealed that monthly income below minimum wage, having another malformed child, other diseases in the first gestational trimester (urinary infection), use of pesticides in home gardens, and pesticide use in farms close to the home were risk factors associated with the malformation, whereas taking vitamins was a protective factor. CONCLUSION: Maternal and paternal exposure to pesticides is associated with cleft lip and palate in Mato Grosso State, Brazil.