You may have noticed that things have shifted around a little bit, most noticeably the photo gallery - we're in the process of updating the site, adding bits, removing other bits and generally tidying up. Please drop us a line if you encounter any problems.

Hope you like it.

We've added a news section to CleftWorld where we'll be collating news and stories from around the globe. News items will appear in abridged form on the front (home) page and can also be viewed as a collection on the news page here. Read The Rest »

A recent study published in Nature reveals that it may be possible to correct birth defects such as cleft palate, in utero. Read The Rest »

The discussion forum is at the heart of what CW is about - a forum where CleftWorlders can discuss and exchange ideas on a variety of topics.

You can access the forum by clicking on the 'discussions' link on the left or above which will take you to the discussions index. The index gives you an overview of the different forum categories and sub categories available for discussion. The main categories are Advice, Resources, Marketplace and All Things CleftWorld. Each of these main categories are further sub-divided into sub-categories to make it easier to find what you are looking for - it is these sub-categories into which you post your topics. Read The Rest »

We've decided to run a series called "Tips" which will feature tips on how to interact with and use the CleftWorld website. So, without further ado, here's the first one:

At present we have one gallery running which features 'before and after' photos - you know, before and after the cleft lip and cleft palate operations. It's amazing to be able to see what modern medicine and surgical techniques can achieve these days - it's very inspirational and will give hope to others who have yet to face similar operations. So please add yours. Read The Rest »

A study recently published online in the British Medical Journal suggests that folic acid may play a role in reducing the likelihood of a baby being born with an isolated cleft lip (folic acid seemed to provide no protection against cleft palate). Researchers found that a daily intake of 0.4 milligrams of folic acid reduced the chance of isolated clefts by as much as 33%. Read The Rest »