Prediction of Alveolar Cleft Reconstruction Outcomes: From the Perspective of Systemic Inflammatory Status and Local Structural Characteristics.

Introduction: To promote alveolar cleft reconstruction outcomes, it is crucial to identify the factors that may influence postoperative bone formation. Both local structural characteristics and systemic inflammatory status are closely related to bone formation, requiring comprehensive investigation. This study aimed to investigate the impact of these potential influencing factors on the bone formation percentage (BFP) of alveolar bone grafting.

Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patients who underwent alveolar bone grafting by the same surgeon between 2017 and 2023. Demographic data, preoperative blood test results, and various local structural characteristics were investigated as independent variables. The BFP was considered as a dependent variable. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to determine the key factors influencing BFP. The ROC curve analysis was utilized to evaluate the predictive efficacy.

Results: Fifty-five patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean BFP was 39.75%±19.68%. The initial bone bridge was an independent positive influencing factor of BFP, whereas the preoperative lymphocyte percentage (L%) was negative. According to ROC curve analysis, a value of L% equal to 34.9% was the optimal cutoff point for whether the BFP was >39.75%. Other parameters were nonsignificantly correlated with BFP.

Conclusion: The presence of the bone bridge and a lower value of L% may indicate a better postoperative bone formation outcome. These findings can help surgeons identify patients who are more likely to achieve favorable bone grafting results based on readily available CT images and preoperative blood tests.