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July is National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month, an observance intended to raise awareness and improve understanding of birth defects of the head and face. Common craniofacial birth defects include orofacial clefts (cleft lip, cleft palate, or both), craniosynostosis (when the skull sutures join together prematurely), and anotia/microtia (when the ear is missing or malformed).

A special issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C with a specific focus on teratology?or the study of birth defects and their causes?recently has been published online. Included in this special issue is a new CDC study: “Influencing Clinical Practice Regarding the Use of Antiepileptic Medications During Pregnancy: Modeling the Potential Impact on the Prevalences of Spina Bifida and Cleft Palate in the United States.” You can read the abstract here.