Individuals with Cleft Lip and/or Palate Demonstrated Improved Self-Reported Psychosocial Functioning Following the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychosocial functioning of individuals with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P). Methods: Patients with CL/P ≥ 6 years old were prospectively recruited from the Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic of a tertiary children's hospital. From July-October 2021, eligible patients (or their parent/guardian) were sent a survey regarding their psychosocial functioning before and after the start of the pandemic. Main Outcome Measure: The difference between prepandemic and intrapandemic patient-reported outcome scores. Results: Thirty-six patients (20 female, age: 15.9 ± 9.8 years) responded. Most had cleft lip and palate (77.8%), responded online (69.4%), interacted remotely via both voice- and video-conferencing (62.9%), and wore masks routinely (77.1%). Similar numbers of patients responded independently (27.8%), responded with the help of a parent/guardian (36.1%), or had a parent/guardian respond on their behalf (36.1%). General social-emotional well-being (p = 0.004, r Conclusion: Patients with CL/P demonstrated significant improvement in overall social-emotional well-being, satisfaction with facial appearance, and social functioning after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly when wearing a mask.