Cleft palate is a developmental defect that occurs between the 7th and 12th week of pregnancy. Normally, the palatine processes fuse during this time to form the soft and hard palate. A failure of fusion results in a cleft palate. The clinical spectrum ranges from bifid uvula, to (incomplete or complete) cleft of the soft palate, up to (complete or incomplete) cleft of both the soft and hard palate.