Long-term follow-up of dental implants placed in a grafted alveolar cleft: evaluation of alveolar bone height

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term follow-up of dental implants placed in the grafted alveoli of patients with cleft lip or palate clinically. Patients and methods. Sixteen patients (8 males and 8 females) who had dental implants placed in alveoli grafted using particulate cancellous bone and marrow (PCBM) from the iliac crest were evaluated. The marginal bone level around the implant was evaluated radiologically at 1 (stage I), 3 (stage II), and 6 years (stage III) after connecting the abutment. The interdental alveolar bone height (IABH) was also evaluated radiologically for up to 6 years. Results. During the follow-up period of an average of 8.6 +/- 0.6 years (range: 7.2 to 9.4 years), only 2 implants were lost in 1 patient, the cumulative survival rate was 90.9%, and the clinical outcome was uneventful in all implants. The marginal bone levels around the implants were 0.29 +/- 0.18, 0.29 +/- 0.19, and 0.28 +/- 0.15 mm at stages I to III, respectively. Moreover, IABH was reduced only in 2 of 16 (12.5%) of the implant-placed grafted alveoli, and was maintained after implant placement for up to 6 years. Conclusions. These findings indicate that the use of dental implants placed in grafted alveoli is beneficial for maintenance of the grafted bone in patients undergoing secondary bone grafting for cleft repair.