What are the key components of a multidisciplinary approach to managing a child with cleft lip and palate?

Managing a child with cleft lip and palate requires a multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach that integrates surgical, medical, developmental, and psychosocial expertise to address the complex needs of the child and family. Key components include:

• Specialist surgical care by craniofacial or plastic surgeons experienced in cleft repair, often utilising advanced techniques such as 3D printing for preoperative planning and customised repair, which can improve surgical outcomes (Kelly et al., 2025).
• Speech and language therapy to assess and manage communication difficulties, which are common in children with cleft palate, ensuring early intervention to support speech development and feeding skills ¹.
• Dental and orthodontic care to manage dental anomalies and support maxillofacial growth, often coordinated within the MDT.
• Audiology assessment to monitor and manage middle ear problems and hearing loss frequently associated with cleft palate.
• Psychosocial support including clinical psychologists and social workers to assist the child and family with adjustment, coping strategies, and access to education and social resources ¹.
• Nutrition and feeding support from dietitians and specialist nurses to address feeding difficulties and ensure adequate growth and development ¹.
• Care coordination by a key worker or nurse coordinator who liaises between specialties and with the family to provide joined-up care and streamline the treatment pathway from diagnosis through surgery and rehabilitation ¹.
• Regular multidisciplinary reviews to monitor progress, adjust interventions, and plan long-term care, involving paediatricians, surgeons, therapists, and other specialists as needed ¹.

This integrated approach recognises the multifaceted challenges faced by children with cleft lip and palate and aims to optimise functional, aesthetic, and psychosocial outcomes through coordinated, family-centred care ¹; (Laub, 2015). Advances such as 3D printing technology are enhancing surgical precision and planning, representing an evolving component of the MDT management (Kelly et al., 2025).