Impact of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on cleft prevalence

What is it about?

This study examined whether the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami affected the birth prevalence of cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CL/P) in Miyagi prefecture, where the earthquake and tsunami caused severe damage. As a result, we did not observe that the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami affected the birth prevalence of CL/P in Miyagi prefecture, even though it severely impacted human health in the area.

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Why is it important?

There have been no report about impact of a natural disaster on prevalence of orofacial cleft except Hurricane Katrina. Following Hurricane Katrina, cleft birth prevalence notably increased among African Americans, but not among white individuals. The fact that our study’s participants were all Asian may have influenced the results. In addition, unlike post-Hurricane Katrina, teratogens were not detected in the atmosphere after the Tohoku disaster. Psychological conditions may have also been better since distinct cultures react differently to crises.