Alveolar Bone Grafting

Alveolar bone grafting plays a crucial role in cleft reconstruction. When neonatal presurgical orthodontia is successful in aligning the cleft segments, alveolar reconstruction can be initiated as a gingivoperiosteoplasty during primary cleft lip repair. In children with cleft palate, alveolar bone grafting is usually done after transverse maxillary expansion with a palatal expander. Exact timing of bone grafting is controversial; most centers initiate orthodontic evaluation/expansion between ages 7 and 8 years (beginning of mixed dentition) with an aim to bone graft before age 10 in order to allow osteogenic incorporation prior to eruption of the permanent canine teeth.