The Role of Paternal Age and Occurrence of Orofacial Clefts in South Indian Population

BACKGROUND The association between orofacial cleft and parental age is evident. This study focuses on paternal age playing a vital role in the birth of children with orofacial clefts. We wanted to assess the role of paternal age as a factor in the development of congenital anomalies in this study. METHODS A case control study was performed on 1000 cases and 250 controls in Mangalore. The parents were interviewed regarding their age at the time of conception. RESULTS 46.4 % of fathers of the cleft children belonged to 30 - 34 years of age group and 25 % belonged to 25 - 29 years of age group at the time of conception. In the control group, 38 % belonged to 30 - 34 years of age group and 24.8 % belonged to 25 - 29 years of age group. CONCLUSIONS Paternal age in the age group of 30 - 34 years has significant contribution in the birth of orofacial children with cleft deformities. KEY WORDS Orofacial cleft, Paternal Age, Congenital anomalies