IntroductionOtitis media with effusion (OME) is a highly prevalent problem in children with cleft lip and palate (CLP). The objective of this study was to establish the prevalence of OME in children with CLP younger than 1 year.Patients and methodsObservational and descriptive study in 19 patients younger than 1 year of age and of both genders, evaluated at the Hospital Metropolitano, from January 2017 to November 2019. The results of otoacoustic emissions and tympanometry were taken into account. The intraoperative presence of discharge in the middle ear established the certain diagnosis of OME.ResultsTwelve patients were men (63%) and 7 women (37%), 13 children (68%) were ≤6 months old, while 6 patients (32%) between 6 months and 1 year. All 19 cases were clinically diagnosed with OME, although the results of acoustic otoemissions and tympanometry were not always confirmed. At least 3 months old, they underwent myringotomy + placement of ventilation tubes. In the two age groups, all presented mucus in the middle ear confirming OME, the prevalence of cases of children under 6 months was 100%, 95% CI (77-100); in patients 6 months to 1 year it was also 100%, 95% CI (60-100).Conclusions The prevalence of OME in children younger than 1 year with CLP is 100%, a diagnosis established by the confirmed presence of a discharge in the middle ear