Dressing for alveolopalatal wounds after alveolar bone grafting

Cotton gauze with alpha cyanoacrylate was used for alveolopalatal wound dressing after alveolar bone grafting to treat 93 alveolar clefts in 74 cleft patients to reduce mechanical injuries, tension for wound dehiscence, and adhesion of food remnants. T-shaped cotton gauze was put on the gingivoperiosteal flaps and was impregnated with cyanoacrylate. The procedure required no preoperative preparation and its intraoperative execution took less than 5 minutes. The gauze with cyanoacrylate was removed approximately 1 week after surgery. No infection was observed at any of the operational sites, but tiny fistulas developed at four of them. The mean bone graft score was 1.4 point. No complications such as thermal injury resulted from the use of cyanoacrylate. Gauze impregnated with cyanoacrylate proved to be a convenient and dependable dressing for alveolopalatal wounds resulting from gingivoperiosteoplasty for alveolar bone grafting.