ALVEOLAR BONE GRAFTING IN PATIENTS WITH CLEFT LIP AND PALATE

Cleft lip and palate (clp) are multifactorial abnor- malities involving a complex influence of enviromental and genetic factors. clp is associated with orofacial syndromes and mostly occurs as an isolated abnormality. children with clp are in risk for speech disorders, hearing deficits, chronic ear infections, dental and orthodontic problems and psychological maladjustment. multidisciplinary treatment principle intends correction of the physical defect with func- tional and cosmetic outcome. treatment of patients with clp is complicated and long-term care from birth to adulthood. alveolar bone grafting (abg) is one of the most effective alternatives in treatment of patients with clp. the objective of abg is to reconstruct the cleft area functionally while improving esthetics. primer abg involves grafting of bone in the neonatal cleft at the time of the lip repair or soon afterwards, prior to the eruption of the deciduous incisors. since abg has disadvantages such as negative influence on growth and maturation of maxilla, it is not common in contemporary practice. secondary abg is preferred to eliminate the disadvantages of primer abg. secondary abg is generally carried out in the mixed dentition. it helps making a complete maxillary arch and bone to enables teeth to respond functionally to migration and orthodontic tooth movement. in this review, the historical development of abg, abg applications, graft materials, possible complications, the assessment and success of abg outcomes in patients with clp are discussed.