Comparison between autogenous iliac bone and freeze-dried bone allograft for repair of alveolar clefts in the presence of plasma rich in growth factors: A randomized clinical trial

PurposeThis study aimed to compare the effectiveness of alveolar cleft repair using iliac bone and freeze-dried bone allograft (FDBA) in the presence of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF).Materials and methodsPatients with unilateral alveolar cleft (n = 32) were randomly allocated to either the iliac plus PRGF group or the FDBA plus PRGF group. CBCT images were obtained before and 6 months after the surgery to assess the regenerated bone volume. Paired t-tests and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied to analyze the data using SPSS 16.0 software.ResultsThe patients' mean age was 15 ± 5.7 years (range = 8-27). In the iliac plus PRGF group, the mean volume of cleft before the surgery and the mean regenerated bone volume 6 months after were 1.67 ± 0.66 and 1.14 ± 0.47 cm3, respectively. The corresponding values were 1.5 ± 0.54 and 0.72 ± 0.23 cm3 in the FDBA plus PRGF group. The remaining bone to cleft volume ratio was not associated with grafting time (secondary or tertiary) and the original cleft volume. Iliac bone reinforced with PRGF was more successful than FDBA plus PRGF in repairing alveolar cleft (p = 0.007).ConclusionDue to the poor performance of the allograft, autografts should still be preferred in spite of possible donor site morbidity.