An increased risk of oro-facial clefts was also observed among infants born to binge-drinking (five or
more drinks per occasion) mothers exposed in the first trimester of pregnancy. Maternal bingedrinking
may be particularly harmful since it results in a greater peak of blood ethanol concentrations
[35]. In one study the mutated ADH1C allele gene (that is involved in ethanol metabolic pathways)
among carried children was found protective against the risk of oral clefts with the maternal genotype
playing a less important role than the child’s [36].