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cleft palate  congenital fissure of the soft palate or both the soft and hard palates, resulting from failure of the two sides of the palate to unite properly at an early stage of fetal development. There is usually an opening through the roof of the mouth into the nasal cavity, extending forward into the premaxilla, where it bends to the right or left. Babies with this defect have trouble nursing, because food and fluids can enter the nasal cavity.




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