Outcome of bone availability after secondary alveolar bone graft in two age groups

The aim of this study is to evaluate outcome of bone availability after the secondary alveolar bone graft in 2 age groups: group 1 patients were between 9 and 13 years old and group 2 patients were above 14 years old. Acceptance success criteria (ASC) consisted of sufficient bone height (more than 10 mm), bone width (more than 4 mm), and adequate continuity between maxillary segments. The height and width of alveolar grafted bone were measured by using the cone-beam CT scans. We studied 45 patients who underwent a bone graft in their alveolar cleft in 2 groups (25 patients in group 1 and 20 in group 2). The results showed that as the patients' ages increased, the incidence of ASC significantly decreased. In group 1, 23 patients had ACS (92%), and in group 2, only 4 patients (20%) had ASC. Cleft type did not affect the ASC. The critical age for decreasing ASC was 14.5 years. Our study showed successful outcomes of grafted bone were good when done in the mixed dentition period. Additionally, bone availability was more predictable at the mixed dentition stage.