According to the CDC & the ASHA, the average prevalence of cleft lip with or without cleft palate was 10.63 per 10,000 live births in the United States and 7.94 per 10,000 live births internationally. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) – National Institute of Health (NIH) conducts various extramural and intramural research in the field to understand the genetic and the environmental factors contributing to oral health. The data driven research is supported by various sources, one such being the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN). The statistics are published by the NBDPN, a surveillance, research, and prevention organization. 43 of the US states has some kind of cleft lip data with different data collection methods and variables.

NBDPN uses the data is from 11 states of Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah, the means of which are used to estimate the national statistics. The annual report for 2017 and raw statistics reveal few key features:

• The lifetime cost of treating the children born each year with cleft lip or cleft palate is estimated to be $697 million.
• The average prevalence of cleft palate only is 6.35 cases per 10,000 live births a year in the United States.
• The average prevalence of cleft lip with or without cleft palate is 10.63 cases per 10,000 live births a year in the United States.