The advantage of wide subperiosteal exposure in primary surgical correction of labial maxillary clefts.

Wide subperiosteal undermining in primary surgical correction of labio-maxillary clefts not only enhances the osteogenic activity of the periosteum but in addition, if the exposure is extended from the superior limit of the ascending maxillary process and the nasal bone to the inferior orbital rim above the infra-orbital foramen and the malar eminence, good suppleness of the overlying muscles can be achieved.