Orthodontic treatment with tooth transplantation for patients with cleft lip and palate.

This article describes the use of tooth transplantation and orthodontic tooth alignment in patients with cleft lip and palate. Due to bone defects in the maxilla, the congenital absence of teeth, especially lateral incisors, is frequently observed in patients with cleft lip and palate. As compared with orthodontic space closure or prosthodontic treatment, tooth transplantation has several advantages, including induction of alveolar growth potential during adolescence. In this study, two cleft lip and palate patients with congenitally missing teeth were treated successfully by tooth transplantation followed by orthodontic treatment. Our results show that tooth transplantation is a viable alternative to other treatments for patients with cleft lip and palate accompanied by congenitally missing teeth.