Clinical Evaluation of Bioabsorbable Mesh for Secondary Bone Grafts in the Alveolar Cleft

Secondary bone grafting in the alveolar cleft is performed to improve alveolar shape, guide permanent tooth eruption or move permanent teeth in the alveolar cleft area, and improve a concaved base in the nasal wing [1]. Such bone grafting is typically conducted 6-9 years before canine tooth eruption [2]. However, in some cases, patients obtain their permanent dentition without receiving bone grafts at the appropriate age. To perform secondary bone grafting in the alveolar cleft area with permanent dentition, alveolar shape reconstruction with sufficient height and thickness is required for dental implant treatment. Since many such cases include extensive alveolar cleft or hard scar tissue around the alveolar cleft with high-tension soft tissue, there is a risk of bone resorption from the labial side after bone grafting. Titanium mesh is generally used in such bone grafting cases due to the straightforward formation of a three-dimensional (3D) alveolar shape [3-5]. However, further surgery is required to remove the mesh.