Alveoloplasty As a Secondary Treatment for Cleft Palate: A Review Article

Abstract

Cleft palate is the most prevalent congenital defect. It is more prevalent in 3^rd world countries. The internationally accepted steps of treatment are: 3 to 6 months – surgery to repair a cleft lip if present, 6 to 12 months – surgery to repair a cleft palate, 18 months – speech assessment, 3 years – speech assessment, 5 years – speech assessment, 7 to 12 years – bone graft to repair a cleft in the alveolar bone,12 to 15 years – orthodontic treatment and monitoring jaw growth. Secondary alveoloplasty serves to enable the patient to have a better quality of life through the augmentation of the alveolar ridge and hence open up the doorway to various modes of dental rehabilitation for proper nutrition and development. The most commonly used method is Boyne’s technique. The use of growth factors has increased the success rate of the contemporary method. With the advent of virtual planning and surgery, the quality of care has recently skyrocketed, yet is still out of reach of most patients due to its high cost. In this article, we shall delve deeper into the topic of secondary alveoloplasty.