Bone Grafting, Corticotomy, and Orthodontics: Treatment of Cleft Alveolus in a Chinese Cohort

Abstract

Objective : A multimodal therapy was applied to solve a set of related problems including collapse of the posterior segment, high level gingival margin of canine, and resorption of grafted bone in a cohort of Chinese youngsters with cleft lip and palate. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of this treatment procedure. Methods : Thirty patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate were included in this prospective study. All patients had previously undergone only cleft lip and palate repair and presented with alveolar cleft and an obvious step in the gingival margin between the canine tooth and the teeth beside it. A multimodal therapy that included bone grafting, corticotomy, and orthodontics was applied to solve these problems. Grafted bone volume, parallelism of the roots, root resorption, gingival margin, and mobility of the canine on the cleft side were established before surgery, 1 week after surgery, and after straightening of the canine. Results : Less than 25% of the grafted bone was reabsorbed in 25 of the 30 patients, while less than 50% was resorbed in the remaining five. The roots of the canines on the cleft side were mostly parallel to the adjacent teeth. Root resorption and mobility of the canines were slight. The difference in the gingival margin between the canines on the cleft side and the other side was small. Conclusions : Canines moved into the grafted bone safely and effectively, thus achieving a normal gingival margin and retaining grafted bone volume in one operation.