Epidemiology of Orofacial Clefts in Rwanda

BACKGROUND: There is substantial variability in the relative frequency of orofacial clefts. The information available on orofacial clefts in Rwanda is limited. The aim of this study is to assess the frequency and geographical distribution of orofacial clefts in Rwanda.
METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on records of orofacial cleft patients treated from January 2010 to December 2013, for a period of one month at ADEPR Nyamata, Kigali University Teaching Hospital and Rwanda Military Hospital. Patient information was retrieved from hospital records, extracted into standardized data collection forms, and cataloged using Excel 2013. The results were exported and analyzed using SPSS-version 16.0 software and presented using frequency distribution tables.
RESULT: A total of 339 orofacial cleft patients’ records were reviewed. Of all the patients, 50.4% were male and the mean age was 8.43 ± 0.4 years [3 months, 65 years]. About 74% of all orofacial clefts were cleft lip, 18.9% cleft palate, and 7.1% had both cleft lip and cleft palate. Of the five provinces, 34.2% came from the Eastern provinces.
CONCLUSION: There is a substantial occurrence of all types of orofacial clefts in all provinces, and the cleft lip is the most common.
A good number of adults with untreated orofacial clefts existed.

Keywords
Orofacial Cleft; Rwanda; University Teaching Hospital; Hospital Records