Changes in Grafted Autogenous Bone during Edgewise Treatment in Patients with Unilateral Cleft Lip/Palate or Alveolus

Objective : To examine the changes in autogenous bone from 6 to 12 months after alveolar bone grafting (ABG) (T1) through completion of edgewise treatment (T2). Design : Retrospective longitudinal study. Setting : Multidisciplinary long-term follow-up at Kagoshima University Hospital. Patients : Forty-three patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate or alveolus. Main Outcome Measures : At T1 and T2, the bone bridge and quantity of grafted bone were evaluated using the Chelsea scale and the ABG scale. The cleft-adjacent tooth angles before ABG and at T2, as well as the number of orthodontic space closures, were examined. Patients were classified as having either adequate (type A or C; adequate group) or poor bone bridges (type B, D, E, or F; poor group) by the assessment at T1. Results : At T1, the ABG scores for the cleft-adjacent central incisor side of patients in the adequate group were higher than those of patients in the poor group (P < .001). At T2, the adequate group had higher ABG scores for the cleft-adjacent central incisor side (P = .022) and the canine sides (P = .034). No significant differences in tooth angles or the number of orthodontic space closures were noted between the groups. Conclusions : These results suggest that the quantity of grafted bone in the cleft-adjacent central incisor at 6 to 12 months post-ABG may be an indicator of the quantity of grafted bone that will be present after edgewise treatment.