Objective: To identify potentially pathogenic bacteria present in the oral and nasal cavities of patients with cleft palate. To determine if the bacterial flora changed following surgical repair of a cleft palate.

Method: For patients undergoing primary cleft lip and palate repair, oropharyngeal, nasal, and sublingual swab cultures were taken preoperatively and postoperatively at 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year. Preoperative cultures were compared to postoperative cultures to determine if surgical separation of the oral and nasal cavities would alter the microbial flora.

Results: Prevalent bacteria identified preoperatively included Group A and Non Group A Streptococcus, Diphtheroids, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Yeast. For nasal cultures, Diphtheroids and Staphylococcus aureus were significantly decreased when compared to the preoperative prevalence. Group A and Non Group A Streptococcus, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Yeast prevalence were unchanged. For sublingual and oropharyngeal cultures, Group A and Non Group A Streptococcus, and Diphtheroids demonstrated significant decrease in prevalence, while Staphylococcus aureus and Yeast demonstrated more a moderate decrease in prevalence. Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were unchanged.