RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To observe the long-term postoperative bone formation and eruption of adjacent teeth after octacalcium phosphate granule and atelocollagen complex (OCP/Col) grafting in the treatment of alveolar cleft of patients with unilateral cleft lip with or without cleft palate (UCL ± P). METHODS: Four patients with UCL ± P who underwent OCP/Col grafting (OCP group), and 55 patients with UCL ± P who underwent autologous bone grafting (AB group) were enrolled in this study. OCP/Col or autologous bone grafting was performed before the eruption of canines or lateral incisors in mixed dentition, followed by orthodontic management. Patients in the OCP group underwent radiography before and after surgery at 1, 2, 3, 6, and over 30 months postoperatively. The volume and area of the bony defect in the alveolar cleft area were compared between the OCP and AB groups before and after 6 months of surgery. RESULTS: The bone bridge in all patients in the OCP/Col group was successfully formed, and by 6 months postoperatively, the permanent teeth adjacent to the alveolar cleft had erupted at the site of the OCP/Col complex graft. Comparison of the pre- and postoperative bone defects between the 2 groups revealed almost the same extent of bone bridge formation. CONCLUSIONS: OCP/Col grafting could be considered as an alternative to autologous bone grafting as it yielded successful bone bridge formation and facilitated permanent tooth eruption.