Osteoplasty of the alveolar cleft defect

Cleft of lip, alveolar process and palate is the most common congenital defect affecting the face. It occurs at the time of early embryogenesis as a result of disturbed differentiation of the primordial cell layer and is associated with genetic and environmental factors. The most severe type of the defect is complete cleft of the lip, alveolar process and palate, unilateral or bilateral, which is accompanied by impaired breathing, sucking, swallowing, chewing, hearing and speaking. The treatment consists in the surgical reconnection (reconstruction) of the cleft anatomical structures and their formation to gain proper appearance, occlusal conditions and speech. The part of the surgical treatment is reconstruction of alveolar bone by means of autogenic spongy bone grafting (osteoplasty). The surgery performed at the stage of mixed dentition following an orthodontic treatment is a recognized standard management modality. Its effects provide stabilization of the dental arches fixed in the orthodontic treatment, possibility of growth of permanent teeth adjoining the cleft as well as separation of the nasal and oral cavities. The grafted bone becomes a platform for the collapsed base of the ala nasi and facilitates restoration of teeth loss. In the graft healing process the volume of the regenerated bone tissue is lower than the graft volume. Methods to augment the healed bone volume are being searched for, as this factor decides substantially on successful outcome of the surgery.