Abstract
This clinical and statistical study was undertaken on two hundred and eighty-nine cleft cases, and particulate marrow and cancellous bone grafting was performed in the alveolar clefts of these cases from 1982 to 1992. There were 181 unilateral cleft lip and palate,57 bilateral cleft lip and palate,41 unilateral cleft lip and alveolus, and 10 bilateral cleft lip and alveolus cases. The range of the age at the time of the operation was from 7 years and 4 months to 33 years and 0 month, and the geometric mean age was eleven years and eleven months. The frequency of the cases grafted under eleven years of age was 41.9%. The number of alveolar clefts, on which the canine was not erupted was 132 of 347 clefts. There was the tendency that the operation was performed at a later age in cases with bilateral cleft lip and palate than in those with other cleft types. The average width of each alveolar cleft was calculated, and distributed from 0 mm (incomplete cleft type) to 21 mm. The frequency of the alveolar cleft, which average width was 7,8, or 9 mm, was relatively high (14%). Wide clefts, with an average width of more than 11 mm, accounted for about 1/3 of all clefts. The weight per case of PMCB materials transplanted in the alveolar clefts was measured, and it correlated with the average width. The geometric mean weight per case was 5.0 grams. These results were compared to our earlier studies of the bony bridging in alveolar clefts, and the following was strongly suggested.1) Bone grafting should be performed at a younger age.2) More PMCB materials will be needed for grafting in alveolar clefts.
