[A retrospective study on clinical outcomes of implant-supported rehabilitations in patients with alveolar cleft]

To retrospectively evaluate the clinical outcomes of implant-supported prosthesis in alveolar cleft patients.

A total of 14 patients with alveolar cleft underwent implant restoration in Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January 2015 to January 2023 were collected. Among them, 9 were male and 5 were female. The age ranged from 18 to 52 years, with a mean of (26.1±10.6) years. The sequence treatment history of patients with cleft lip and palate and the effect of implant repair were retrospectively analyzed.

Bone grafting in the fissured area failed repeatedly in 1 patient and no implant was implanted. A total of 21 implants were implanted in the remaining 13 patients with alveolar cleft, all of which achieved good osseointegration. In 10 cases, one implant was implanted in each fissure area for single crown or single end bridge repair. In 3 cases, 11 implants were implanted in the non-fissure area for fixed bridge repair. Seven patients with single implant were followed up for 6 to 96 months, with an average of (39.4±29.2) months. During their visits, patients underwent various examinations, including pink aesthetic score (PES) averaging 10.16±0.98, white aesthetic score(WES) averaging 8.50±1.23, and probing depth(PD) with a mean of (2.68±0.61) mm. Additionally, gingival index(GI) was recorded with a mean of 1.33±1.10, and marginal bone loss(MBL) was measured with a mean of (0.17±0.35) mm. The width of the mid-labial keratinized mucosa was observed to be (5.14±2.10) mm.

Implant-supported prosthesis in the alveolar cleft area after well-established multidisciplinary sequential treatments have predictable middle-term success rate, satisfactory aesthetic outcomes and stable peri-implant soft and hard tissue conditions.