Final answer:
Option A: The surgeon, dentist, and nurse are core members of a Cleft Palate Team essential for managing the comprehensive needs of individuals with this developmental defect.
Step-by-step explanation:
The core members of a Cleft Palate Team, as determined by the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA), are surgeons, dentists, and nurses. This multi-disciplinary approach ensures that individuals with a cleft palate receive comprehensive care addressing surgical, dental, and nursing needs. A cleft palate is a developmental defect that affects the hard palate, where a failure of the horizontal plates of the right and left palatine bones and the palatine processes of the maxillary bones to fuse at the midline results in a gap. This gap can cause issues with feeding and speech and increase the risk of ear infections and hearing problems. Surgical repair is typically required to correct this defect. The answer to the student's question would be option A: surgeon, dentist, and nurse, who are core members of a Cleft Palate Team.