Secondary alveolar bone grafting (SABG) during mixed dentition is the standard of care for patients with complete cleft of lip and palate. Early SABG (E-SABG; 4 to 7 y) occurs before the eruption of lateral incisors, whereas late SABG (L-SABG; 8 to 12 y) occurs before the eruption of maxillary permanent canines. This study compares outcomes of E-SABG versus L-SABG among patients with unilateral cleft of lip and palate (UCLP). A prospective cohort study was conducted evaluating nonsyndromic patients with UCLP who underwent SABG from April 2018 to January 2020, 48 consecutive patients with UCLP were included. Preoperative and 6 to 10-month postoperative cone beam computed tomography imaging were obtained to assess graft and periodontal outcomes. Among 48 patients with UCLP, of which 21 were in the E-SABG group (6.9 ± 1.1 y), and 28 were in the L-SABG cohort (10.4 ± 1.6 y). The initial alveolar cleft width is significantly smaller in the E-SABG cohort compared with the L-SABG cohort (5.1 ± 1.5 versus 6.5 ± 2.0 mm, P = 0.008). Compared with the L-SABG cohort, the E-SABG cohort had higher rates of bony bridge formation (77.3% versus 65.4%, P= 0.367), thicker bony bridges (5.7 ± 2.1 versus 3.9 ± 1.5 mm, P= 0.004), lower Bergland scores [1.5 (interquartile range: 1 to 2) versus 2.25 (interquartile range: 1.5 to 3.5), P= 0.026], and greater alveolar bone coverage (79.8 ± 16.7% versus 67.9 ± 18.1%, 0.024). The authors' findings suggest that patients who undergo E-SABG at ∼7 years may have better graft outcomes and benefits to the periodontal bone support on cleft-adjacent incisor compared with L-SABG at 11 years.
Copyright © 2024 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.