Skoog Primary Periosteoplasty versus Secondary Alveolar Bone Grafting in Unilateral Cleft Lip and Alveolus: Long-Term Effects on Alveolar Bone Formation and Maxillary Growth.

BACKGROUND: Clefts involving the alveolus are treated using one of two strategies: primary periosteoplasty at the time of lip repair or secondary alveolar bone grafting at mixed dentition. Most teams favor secondary alveolar bone grafting because of its high success rate, and concerns have been raised that primary periosteoplasty may interfere with maxillary growth. However, primary periosteoplasty may obviate the need for future bone grafting and is still practiced in some centers. Few studies compare the long-term outcomes of these two strategies. METHODS: Fifty-seven consecutive patients born with unilateral cleft lip and alveolus were studied retrospectively. All patients underwent primary lip repair using Skoog's method; 28 patients underwent primary periosteoplasty at the time of lip repair and the remaining 29 underwent secondary alveolar bone grafting at mixed dentition. Occlusal radiographs obtained at ages 10 and 16 years were analyzed for alveolar bone height. Cephalometric analysis assessed growth at ages 5, 10, and 18 years. RESULTS: Seventeen of 28 patients treated using primary periosteoplasty required later secondary bone grafting, and the bone height at age 16 years was lower in the primary periosteoplasty group (p < 0.0001). There was a more pronounced decrease in maxillary protrusion from ages 5 to 10 years in the primary periosteoplasty group (p < 0.03). However, at age 18 there was no significant difference in maxillary growth between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Primary periosteoplasty did not seem to inhibit long-term maxillary growth but was ineffective as a method of reconstructing the alveolar cleft. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

Correlations between initial cleft size and dental anomalies in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients after alveolar bone grafting.

Objective To determine in individuals with unilateral cleft lip and palate the correlation between initial cleft size and dental anomalies, and the outcome of alveolar bone grafting. Methods A total of 67 consecutive patients with non-syndromic unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (UCLP) were included from the cleft lip and palate-craniofacial center, Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden. All patients were operated by the same surgeon and treated according to the Uppsala protocol entailing: lip plasty at 3 months, soft palate closure at 6 months, closure of the residual cleft in the hard palate at 2 years of age, and secondary alveolar bone grafting (SABG) prior to the eruption of the permanent canine. Cleft size was measured on dental casts obtained at the time of primary lip plasty. Dental anomalies were registered on radiographs and dental casts obtained before bone grafting. Alveolar bone height was evaluated with the Modified Bergland Index (mBI) at 1 and 10-year follow-up. Results Anterior cleft width correlated positively with enamel hypoplasia and rotation of the central incisor adjacent to the cleft. There was, however, no correlation between initial cleft width and alveolar bone height at either 1 or 10 years follow-up. Conclusions Wider clefts did not seem to have an impact on the success of secondary alveolar bone grafting but appeared to be associated with a higher degree of some dental anomalies. This finding may have implications for patient counseling and treatment planning.

Optimization of dental status improves long-term outcome after alveolar bone grafting in unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Objective : To evaluate the importance of dental status for long-term outcome after alveolar bone grafting in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate. Design : Retrospective longitudinal study. Setting : Cleft lip and palate-craniofacial center, Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden. Patients : A total of 67 consecutive patients with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate. Interventions : Secondary alveolar bone grafting, prior to the eruption of the permanent canine, was performed at the average age of 10.0 years (range, 8.5 to 12.0 years). Main Outcome Measures : Alveolar bone height was evaluated with the modified Bergland index at 1 and 10 years after surgery. Results : Of the patients, 97% had modified Bergland index grade I and the remaining 3% had modified Bergland index grade II at 1 year after surgery. At 10 years' follow-up, 43% showed modified Bergland index grade I; 55%, modified Bergland index grade II; and 2% (one patient), modified Bergland index grade III. The degree of dental anomalies in the cleft area, such as enamel hypoplasia, incisor rotation, incisor inclination, canine inclination, and oral hygiene registered preoperatively, all correlated negatively to the modified Bergland index at 10 years after surgery. Enamel hypoplasia (ρ = 0.70195, P < .0001), followed by canine inclination (ρ = 0.55429, P < .0001), showed the strongest correlation to reduced bone height in the cleft area. Conclusions : In patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate, excellent results from secondary alveolar bone grafting in terms of bone height in the alveolar cleft tend to decrease with time. This seems to be correlated with factors that might to some extent be treated preoperatively through adequate planning and execution of the orthodontic treatment.