Multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of a patient with cleft lip and palate: a case report

Treatment of the patient with cleft lip and palate represents a real problem from both functional and esthetic points of view. Today a functional result is not enough. An esthetic result is both necessary and possible to improve the quality of life. The direct placement of an implant in the grafted alveolar cleft is not the ideal choice. Using a rational, multidisciplinary approach, it is possible to obtain esthetic results in these patients. In our case study, a 17-year-old patient previously treated for a unilateral cleft lip and palate and agenesis of the right lateral incisor was given an osseointegrated implant. Computer-assisted dental design (Procera CAD/CAM software, Nobel Biocare AB, Gothenburg, Sweden) was used for the prosthetic rehabilitation, and the end of growth was determined prior to placing the implant. No sign of failure or mobility after loading has been detected at the time of this writing, 8 months after the procedure's completion, and the esthetic result is considered satisfactory by the patient and practitioners.