Radiographic Assessment of Different Autogenous Bone Grafts in the Alveolar Cleft: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study

Objectives To assess feasibility and maintenance of bone after alveolar cleft reconstructions using graft from iliac crest and mandibular symphysis. Methods 51 alveolar clefts grafted with iliac crest and 51 ones grafted with mandibular symphysis bones were selected from patients aged between 7 and 12 years. At three (T1) and 12 months (T2) after surgeries, periapical radiographs were performed to measure the height of the grafted bone based on the modified Bergland scale. Chi-square and Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon tests compared differences between T1 and T2 according to each bone graft. Results From the clefts grafted with mandibular symphysis bone, 47 were classified as type I (92.5%) and 04 as type II (7.84%) at T1. At T2, 36 were classified as type II (25.49%) and 02 as type III (3.92%). In the analysis of the clefts grafted with iliac crest at T1, 48 were classified as type I (94.11%) and three as type II (5.88%). At T2, 37 classifieds as type I (72.54%), 12 as type II (23.52%) and two as type III (3.92%). There was no statistically significant difference between treatments. Conclusions It was concluded that iliac crest and mandibular symphysis are adequate areas from which bone grafts can be obtained for reconstruction of alveolar cleft.