Introduction Cortisol is a hormone involved in the response to stress. Attention is a function that can change due to exposure to stress.

Objectives To verify the correlation between the level of salivary cortisol and sustained auditory attention in children with cleft lip and palate, as well as to compare the results of the variables analyzed between female and male patients.

Methods In total, 103 children aged 6 to 11 years, were divided into 2 groups: those with cleft lip and palate (experimental group, EG; n = 69) and the control group (CG; n = 34). The Sustained Auditory Attention Ability Test (SAAAT) and salivary cortisol levels, measured by an enzyme immunoassay kit (Salimetrics, Stage College, PA, US), were calculated and compared regarding the two groups. The statistical tests used were the Mann-Whitney test and the Spearman correlation.

Results The median level of salivary cortisol was of 0.03615 µl/dL and 0.18000 µl/dL respectively for the EG and CG, with a significant difference between the groups (p = 0.000). Absence of statistical significance (total error score = 0.656; vigilance decrement = 0.051) was observed the for SAAAT among the EG (median total error score = 12.00; 25th percentile [25%] = 7.00; 75th percentile [75%] = 21.00; and vigilance decrement = 1.00; 25% = 0.00; 75% = 2.50) and the CG (median total error score = 12.00; 25% = 6.00; 75% = 24.00; and vigilance decrement = 0.00; 25% = -1.00; 75% = 2.00).

Conclusion All children had median levels of salivary cortisol and scores for sustained auditory attention within normal parameters. A significant correlation between the level of salivary cortisol and the ability to sustain auditory attention was observed in children without cleft lip and palate. There were no differences regarding the SAAAT and salivary cortisol between female and male patients.