Abnormal oral cavity morphology Orofacial cleft The presence of a cleft (gap, opening, or groove) in the oral cavity, including cleft of the upper lip and/or cleft of the palate. Cleft of the upper lip is visible as a groove or fissure in the lip, most frequently due to a congenital failure of the maxillary and median nasal processes to fuse. Cleft palate is characterized by a grooved depression or fissure in the roof of the mouth, most often resulting from a congenital failure of the palate to fuse properly. Clefts of the lip and palate can occur individually or together. It is preferable to code each defect separately. SNOMEDCT_US:66948001 UMLS:C4021813 HP:0000202 SNOMEDCT_US:253983005 Oral clefting Cleft of the mouth Cleft lip/palate UMLS:C0158646 Cleft lip, cleft palate Oral cleft Craniofacial cleft