[Gingivoperiosteoplasty associated to bone graft: radiological evaluation]

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Craniofacial Anomalies

Background:

• Gingivoperiosteoplasty with bone grafting is a key treatment for alveolar clefts in patients up to 20 years old.
• Management is multidisciplinary, with bone grafting often recommended during mixed dentition.
• Retroalveolar and panoramic radiography are commonly used to assess bone height post-grafting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To retrospectively evaluate the radiological outcomes of gingivoperiosteoplasty associated with bone grafting.
• To assess the effectiveness of panoramic radiography in evaluating alveolar bone height after grafting.
• To compare results based on patient age at surgery and cleft laterality.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 57 alveolar bone grafts in 44 patients (1999-2005).
• Panoramic radiographs were analyzed one year post-surgery by a single expert.
• Bone height was graded relative to adjacent teeth; grades 1-2 considered satisfactory.

Main Results:

• 84.2% of grafts achieved satisfactory bone height (grades 1 and 2).
• 81% of patients grafted during mixed dentition showed good results.
• No significant difference in outcomes was found between early and delayed surgery or in patients with lateral incisor agenesis.

Conclusions:

• Gingivoperiosteoplasty with bone grafting yields satisfactory radiological results and is a reproducible procedure.
• Panoramic radiography provides a useful, though less precise, assessment compared to advanced imaging.
• Cone beam computed tomography is suggested as the optimal method for evaluating alveolar cleft repair outcomes.