Table 4:

Association between use of dermatologic corticosteroid agents during first trimester of pregnancy and isolated orofacial clefts among 832 636 live births

Characteristics of use	Cleft lip with or without cleft palate: first trimester use		Cleft palate alone: first trimester use
	No.	Adjusted OR* (95% CI)	No.	Adjusted OR† (95% CI)
Medication‡
Triamcinolone	2	1.36 (0.34–5.47)	0	NA
Hydrocortisone	3	1.28 (0.41–3.98)	1	1.02 (0.14 –7.23)
Betamethasone	8	1.25 (0.62–2.51)	6	2.30 (1.02–5.15)
Hydrocortisone butyrate	15	1.82 (1.09–3.04)	4	1.17 (0.43–3.12)
Fluocinonide	0	NA	1	21.27 (2.95–153.13)
Mometasone furoate	3	0.73 (0.23–2.27)	2	1.21 (0.30–4.86)
Clobetasol	3	1.81 (0.58–5.65)	0	NA
No. of daily defined doses
5–20	15	1.68 (1.01–2.80)	7	1.87 (0.89–3.97)
25–30	17	1.98 (1.23–3.21)	5	1.42 (0.59–3.44)
35–50	1	0.47 (0.07–3.31)	1	1.13 (0.16–8.07)
> 50	1	0.27 (0.04–1.90)	1	0.66 (0.09–4.71)
Potency§
Group I: weak	3	1.28 (0.41–3.98)	1	1.02 (0.14–7.23)
Group II: moderately potent	17	1.70 (1.05–2.75)	4	0.96 (0.36–2.57)
Group III: potent	11	0.99 (0.54–1.79)	9	2.00 (1.03–3.87)
Group IV: very potent	3	1.81 (0.58–5.63)	0	NA

Note: CI = confidence interval, NA = not applicable, OR = odds ratio.

^*Adjusted for year of birth, maternal place of residence at start of pregnancy, maternal place of origin, smoking status during pregnancy, history of orofacial clefts among offspring and history of any birth defects among offspring.

^†Adjusted for year of birth, maternal place of residence at start of pregnancy and history of orofacial clefts among offspring.

^‡Budesonide, fluocortolone, clobetasone, fluoprednidene, alclometasone, hydrocortisone buteprate, desoximetasone, fluocinolone acetonide, diflucortolone, diflorasone, fluticasone, halcinonide and flumetasone were also used, but no orofacial clefts were seen among the offspring of women taking these medications.

^§See Appendix 1 for definition of potency and categorization.