title: Long-term stability of alveolar bone grafts in cleft palate patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many authors have examined the surgical bone treatment of cleft palate patients, but no study has emphasized the role of orthodontic therapy. The aims of this study were to evaluate the long-term stability of bone grafts when using an orthodontic-surgical protocol, to determine the success of bone grafts in minor vs severe clefts, and to develop a qualitative method for assessing the success of bone grafting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-nine patients were included in this study. Occlusal x-rays were taken before (T0), immediately after (T1), and at least 1 year after bone grafting (T2). Two radiographic parameters were analyzed adjacent to the cleft side: the vertical bone level (Bergland scale) and the horizontal bone level (Witherow-derived scale).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The bone graft success at T2 was 91.84% (95% confidence interval, 84.55-96.41). The severity of the cleft before grafting was not statistically correlated with success at T2 (P <0.05). The concordance rate between Bergland and Witherow values was 87.07% (95% confidence interval, 82.69-90.69). The variables analyzed (sex, age, type of cleft, lateral incisor agenesis) were not statistically correlated (P <0.05) with the stability of bone graft. Based on the results, the only factor involved in the stability of the graft seems to be dental age at the time of bone grafting and the orthodontic therapy before and after grafting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It seems appropriate to recommend early application of a surgical-orthodontic protocol to treat cleft lip and palate patients, prevent postoperative bone resorption, and guarantee correct positioning of the teeth.
authors.affiliation: School of Orthodontics, University of Ferrara, Italy. dominique_toscano@hotmail.it
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Toscano
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Baciliero
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gracco
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Siciliani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000517:prevention & control; D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000601:surgery; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D002648:Child; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D010155:Palatal Expansion Technique; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014071:Tooth Abnormalities / Q000150:complications