Abstract

Background: Several studies have evaluated association of the 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene 1298A > C polymorphism with non-syndromic cleft lip with or without palate (NSCL +/- P) susceptibility, however the results are inconsistent. Materials and methods: To address this issue, we performed a case-control study to evaluate the association of MTHFR 1298A > C polymorphism with NSCL +/- P risk, followed by a meta-analysis. Results: Including our study, a total of 22 case-control studies with 2,814 cases and 4,199 controls were selected. The results suggested that there was no significant association between MTHFR 1298A > C polymorphism and NSCL +/- P risk overall. The subgroup analysis demonstrated that the polymorphism was significantly associated with NSCL +/- P risk in Asians and Iranian populations, but not in Caucasians, mixed and Chinese populations. Conclusion: This meta-analysis indicates that MTHFR 1298A > C polymorphism may not contribute to NSCL +/- P risk in overall. However, the MTHFR 1298A > C polymorphism was significantly associated with an increased risk of NSCL +/- P in Asians and Iranian populations.