Rapid Maxillary Expansion After Secondary Alveolar Bone Grafting in Patients With Alveolar Cleft

Objective: To test the hypothesis that it is possible to perform rapid maxillary expansion (RME) after alveolar bone grafting in patients with clefts of the lip and palate (CLP) without compromising the final result of the bone graft. Design: Occlusal and periapical radiographs of the grafted area of 17 unilateral and 11 bilateral patients with CLP (n = 28) were obtained before and after RME. Setting and sample population: Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies (HRAC), University of Sao Paulo. Twenty-eighty patients with CLP who had undergone RME. Interventions: RME was performed in patients with CLP who had already undergone RME before secondary bone grafting but with relapse of the maxillary dental arch constriction, as well as in patients with CLP who had never undergone expansion before bone grafting. Outcome measure: Qualitative evaluation in occlusal and periapical radiographs after alveolar bone grafting. Results: Findings showed opening of the midpalatal suture in 42.8% of patients in this study. Regardless of the success rate of RME, the alveolar bone grafting was not affected when the procedures were inverted. Conclusion: The hypothesis was accepted. RME can be performed after secondary alveolar bone grafting without affecting it.