Multidisciplinary care of the child born with cleft lip and palate.

Cleft lip and cleft palate affect about one in every 700 children born in the United States. Parents of newborns with orofacial clefts, often unaware of the cleft until birth, need emotional support and professional guidance in caring for their baby. As the child grows, it is important to properly time surgical procedures, speech therapy, hearing evaluations, and dental interventions and to assess the child's psychological status. Multidisciplinary cleft palate teams provide a significant resource to families of children with facial clefts. This article describes the role of team members, provides an overview of the cleft condition, and lists resources for families and healthcare professionals.