title: Long-term follow-up of dental implants placed in a grafted alveolar cleft: evaluation of alveolar bone height.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term follow-up of dental implants placed in the grafted alveoli of patients with cleft lip or palate clinically.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen patients (8 males and 8 females) who had dental implants placed in alveoli grafted using particulate cancellous bone and marrow (PCBM) from the iliac crest were evaluated. The marginal bone level around the implant was evaluated radiologically at 1 (stage I), 3 (stage II), and 6 years (stage III) after connecting the abutment. The interdental alveolar bone height (IABH) was also evaluated radiologically for up to 6 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the follow-up period of an average of 8.6 +/- 0.6 years (range: 7.2 to 9.4 years), only 2 implants were lost in 1 patient, the cumulative survival rate was 90.9%, and the clinical outcome was uneventful in all implants. The marginal bone levels around the implants were 0.29 +/- 0.18, 0.29 +/- 0.19, and 0.28 +/- 0.15 mm at stages I to III, respectively. Moreover, IABH was reduced only in 2 of 16 (12.5%) of the implant-placed grafted alveoli, and was maintained after implant placement for up to 6 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that the use of dental implants placed in grafted alveoli is beneficial for maintenance of the grafted bone in patients undergoing secondary bone grafting for cleft repair.
authors.affiliation: Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kyushu Dental College, Kitakyushu, Japan. tetsu@kyu-dent.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tetsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Tetsuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inai
authors.forename: Shoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kochi
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Tai
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.forename: Seishi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Echigo
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000543:Alveoloplasty; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014716:Vertical Dimension