A meta-analysis: Parental age as a risk factor for non-syndromic oral clefts
Conclusion of the study done on parental age as a risk factor for non-syndromic oral clefts: the findings suggest that fathers forty years of age or older had a 58% higher probability of having a child with cleft palate compared to those aged between 20-39 years.
The probability of mothers aged between 35 and 39 years having a child with cleft palate was 20% higher in comparison with those between 20-29 years-old, while for those aged 40 years or more this probability was 28% higher compared to those aged between 20-29 years.
Mothers aged 40 years or over were 1.56 times more likely to have a newborn with cleft lip with or without palate compared to those aged between 20-29 years. No evidence of association between early maternal and paternal age with occurrence of oral clefts was observed. (Source: Journal of Dentistry)