Secondary bone grafting and orthodontic treatment in patients with bilateral complete clefts of the lip and palate.

The results of secondary bone grafting and orthodontic treatment in 41 patients with bilateral complete clefts of the lip and palate are reported. Good bone formation was found in 98% of the cleft sites grafted before the eruption of the canines, and in 80% of the clefts grafted later. Closure of both cleft spaces by orthodontic means was achieved in 20 of the 21 patients in the first group, and in 14 of the 20 patients in the second group. The bone grafts failed in one cleft site in 4 patients, all of which were regrafted with satisfactory results. In 2 patients one of the canines was later affected by external root resorption, necessitating endodontic treatment. Both the failures and the root resorptions occurred in patients bone grafted at an older age than was considered optimal for bilateral clefts: 10 to 11 years. Seven patients needed a bridge prosthesis, 3 of these over one cleft space only. Even these patients benefited greatly from bone grafting.