<unk>  are birth defects that affect the upper<unk>  and the roof of the mouth.
If only skin tissue is affected one speaks of<unk> <unk> .<unk> <unk>  is formed in the top of the<unk>  as either a small gap or an indentation in the<unk>  (partial or incomplete<unk>  or continues into the nose (complete<unk> .<unk> <unk>  can occur as one sided (unilateral) or two sided (bilateral).
Unilateral incomplete
Unilateral complete
Bilateral complete
Unilateral incomplete
Unilateral complete
Bilateral complete
3 months old boy before going into surgery to have his unilateral incomplete<unk> <unk>  repaired.
The same boy, 1 month after the surgery.
Again the same boy, age 1.5 years old. Note how the scar gets less visible with age.
3 months old boy before going into surgery to have his unilateral incomplete<unk> <unk>  repaired.
The same boy, 1 month after the surgery.
Again the same boy, age 1.5 years old. Note how the scar gets less visible with age.<unk><unk>  is a condition in which the two<unk> s of the skull that form the hard<unk>  (roof of the mouth) are not completely joined. The soft<unk>  is in these cases<unk>  as well. In most cases,<unk> <unk>  is also present.<unk> <unk>  can occur as complete (soft and hard<unk> , possibly including a gap in the jaw) or incomplete (a 'hole' in the roof of the mouth, usually as a<unk>  soft<unk> . When<unk><unk>  occurs, the uvula is usually split. It occurs due to the failure of fusion of the lateral<unk> ne processes, the nasal septum, and/or the median<unk> ne processes (formation of the secondary<unk> .
The hole in the roof of the mouth caused by a<unk>  connects the mouth directly to the nasal cavity.
Note: the next images show the roof of the mouth. The top shows the nose, the<unk> s are colored pink. For clarity the images depict a toothless infant.
Incomplete<unk><unk> 
Unilateral complete<unk>  and<unk> 
Bilateral complete<unk>  and<unk> 
Incomplete<unk><unk> 
Unilateral complete<unk>  and<unk> 
Bilateral complete<unk>  and<unk>
Cleft lip and palate
Hemifacial microsomia
Anodontia
Hypodontia
Laryngomalacia
Branchial cleft cyst
Acephaly 
Omphalocele