RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Cleft lip and palate are the most common craniofacial malformations worldwide. The alveolar cleft is treated with a bone graft, between 4 and 7 years of age in mixed dentition. This is an important step because it provides good quality jawbone and a better support of the lip and the alar cartilage on the side of the cleft. Bone autografting with iliac harvesting remains the most commonly used technique, but it is not without risks. Allograft techniques have therefore been described to reduce this morbidity (pain, infectious risk, hemorrhagic risk, fracture risk). The aim of this study was to evaluate, one year after allografting, the efficiency and consolidation of the bone allograft in the alveolar cleft. SETTING: A retrospective study was conducted in the department of pediatric craniomaxillofacial surgery in the Woman-Mother-Child Hospital in Lyon, France. PATIENTS: This series includes 22 patients or 25 alveolar cleft bone grafts, including 16 boys and 6 girls, with an average age of 6.1 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Quantify the residual bone allograft by evaluating the ratio between the volume of the bone graft and the volume of the initial space on pre- and post-operative cone beam computed tomography. RESULTS: The residual bone allograft percentage at 1 year was 58.5% (± 22.3). CONCLUSIONS: Alveolar cleft bone graft with bone allograft is an alternative to iliac autografting to reduce donor site morbidity.