Efficacy of Iliac Crest Bone Graft In Cleft Lip & Palate Patients

Cleft Lip & palate is the most common congenital facial deformity. After surgical correction of cleft lip and cleft palate, a separate surgical correction of cleft alveolus is necessary for stability & continuity of maxillary arch, permitting support for tooth eruption, elimination of oro-nasal fistula and providing aesthetic support to the nasal base. The donor sites for bone grafting for cleft alveolus include anterior & posterior Iliac crest, mandibular symphysis, cranium, tibia, olecrenon process and rib. We used anterior iliac crest cortico-cancellous bone graft for cleft alveolus and studied the outcome on different age groups and also evaluated its effect on eruption of impacted tooth (canine/lateral incisor),if present, after grafting.