Optimal timing of cleft palate closure.

Treatment objectives for the cleft palate patient--normal speech, normal maxillofacial growth, and normal hearing--are closely related. Controversy about the timing of cleft palate surgery is directed at the need for early palatoplasty for improved speech and hearing versus delayed hard palate repair for undisturbed facial growth. This controversy as to the value of early versus delayed closure continues into the present. The authors present an updated argument regarding this controversy along with a comprehensive literature review. They also present a logical algorithm based on the literature and their personal experience.