Cleft lip and/or palate is the most widely known congenital malformation of the orofacial region. Secondary bone grafting of alveolar clefts combined with subsequent orthodontic treatment, designed to obtain a nonprosthodontic dental rehabilitation and also eliminate the other deficiencies attributable to the osseous defect. This study aimed to evaluate the role of graft fixation by using sonic weld biodegradable plating system on alveolar cleft repair
Patients and methods Ten patients with unilateral alveolar clefts ( right and left) were included in this study. The patients were evaluated with age ranging between (7–12) years. They were treated by secondary grafting procedures of their alveolar clefts using chin bone block fitted in the cleft and fixed by sonic weld biodegradable bone plates. The patients were followed up for 6 months both clinically and radiographically
Results: Uneventful soft tissue healing regarding soft tissue wounds. The alar base was augmented for all patients and the soft tissue scar had been matured (no tenderness) by about the third month postoperatively. The postoperative radiological results were excellent in all patients, regarding the alveolar bone height bordering the teeth mesially and distally, the incorporation of the graft material with the surrounding bone or the degree of eruption of the cleft related permanent teeth (lateral and canine) through the graft.
Conclusion: By the end of this study the author concluded that the fixation of monoblock corticocancellous bone graft in alveolar cleft repair using sonic weld plating system is useful as it maintain the graft volume and height.