PREDICTORS OF CONGENITAL CLEFT LIP AND PALATE IN CHILDREN IN A REGION OF ENVIRONMENTAL DISADVANTAGE

Objectives. Congenital defects in children are an indirect indicator of the ecological well-being of a region. Benz(a)pyrene and formaldehyde are substances of class I and II hazard to the human body, have embryotoxic properties and cause congenital defects at elevated peak concentrations in the environment, which can be considered as predictors of congenital clefts of the lip and palate. Purpose. To determine predictors of congenital cleft lip and palate in children in a region of ecological disadvantage. Methodology. 5,570 medical records of children diagnosed with congenital cleft lip and palate were analyzed. Data from the “State Report on the State of Natural Resources and the Environment of the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2023” and the level of toxic substances in the atmospheric air in various regions were analyzed. Results. A comparative assessment of the clinical and anatomical forms of congenital clefts of the lip and palate in children in the Republic of Bashkortostan showed a high percentage of more severe types of congenital defects, namely cleft palate – 41.10% and combined cleft lip, alveolar process and palate – 33.17%. Severe clinical and anatomical forms of congenital clefts – cleft palate and combined cleft lip, palate and alveolar process were in 78.77% (2556 children) of cases in areas with high levels of pollutants in the atmospheric air, and 68.0% (1581 children) in areas with normal levels of pollutants in the air. Conclusions. The peaks of the increase in MAC and the presence in the environment of embryotoxic substances such as benz(a)pyrene and formaldehyde, entering the mother's body before planning pregnancy and during the period of gestation can be considered as predictors of the occurrence of congenital clefts of the lip and palate and more severe clinical and anatomical forms of the defect.