Orthodontic Preparation for Bone Graft in Cleft Palate Patients

  Cleft palate patients require a multidisciplinary care from birth to adulthood by teamwork of healthcare providers; the orthodontist plays a major role in this team. Filling the bony defect at the cleft area with a bony graft requires an orthodontic preparation in order to expand the collapsed palatal segments; this is best done during the mixed dentition and before eruption of the permanent canine. The best guide to proper timing of bone graft is the stage of root formation of erupting canine shown by a radiograph.  &nbsp