A submucous cleft palate is one type of cleft palate. The word “palate” refers to the roof of the mouth and the term “cleft” indicates a split in the palate. The palate consists of both a bony portion (hard palate) and a muscular portion (soft palate). At the end of the soft palate, the small finger-like projection of tissue that hangs down is called the “uvula”. The term “submucous” refers to the fact that the cleft is covered over by the lining (mucous membrane) of the roof of the mouth. This covering of mucosa makes the cleft difficult to see when looking in the mouth.
A submucous cleft of the soft palate is characterized by a midline deficiency or lack of muscular tissue and incorrect positioning of the muscles. A submucous cleft of the hard palate is defined as a bony defect in the midline or center of the bony palate. This can sometimes be felt as a notch or depression in the bony palate when the palate is palpated with a finger. Often a submucous cleft palate is associated with a bifid or cleft uvula.