title: Reconstruction of the alveolar cleft: effect of preoperative extraction of deciduous teeth at the sites of clefts on the incidence of postoperative complications.
abstract: Our objective was to find out if the extraction of deciduous teeth at the sites of clefts 3-8 weeks before alveolar bone grafting (ABG) would reduce the number of postoperative complications. Chart reviews were reviewed retrospectively of patients who had had ABG from March 2006 to June 2009. To reduce variables only healthy, non-syndromic, cooperative patients were included. Eleven patients had had their deciduous teeth extracted at the cleft sites 3-8 weeks before ABG and 10 patients had had the extractions done intraoperatively at the same time as ABG. There was a single case of postoperative infection and no wound dehiscence in the preoperative extraction group, and there were no delays in postoperative orthodontic treatment. In the intraoperative group there were 3 cases of local wound infection and 6 cases of minor dehiscence, and orthodontic treatment was delayed for 3-6 months in all patients with complications. All patients had successful ABG, eruption of teeth, and orthodontic treatment; but patients who had their deciduous teeth at the cleft sites extracted preoperatively had fewer wound complications than patients whose extractions were done at the same time as the ABG.
authors.affiliation: King Khalid University, Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Aseer General Hospital, Saudi Arabia. mazen ajm@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Mazen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Almasri
mesh_terms: D000541:Alveolectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000601:surgery*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014078:Tooth Eruption / Q000502:physiology; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000601:surgery*; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control