Smoking During Pregnancy Increases Risk Of Cleft Lip And Palate

A study on data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics found that women who smoke during pregnancy are 50 to 78 percent more likely than non-smokers to give birth to babies with cleft lips and palates.

Cleft lips and palates are the fourth most common congenital birth defect and affect about one in 700 newborns.

Mothers who smoke 10 or fewer cigarettes per day increase the risk of their babies' developing cleft lip or palate by 50%. Those who smoked 11 to 20 cigarettes per day increased the risk by 55%. Mothers who smoked more than one pack per day raised the risk by 78%.

These findings reinforce the importance of educating women to not smoke while they are pregnant.