An atraumatic technique for harvesting cancellous bone for secondary alveolar bone grafting in cleft palate.

Secondary alveolar bone grafting in cleft palate patients has been popularised by the Oslo group. Harvesting of the bone graft has been carried out by techniques developed initially for cranio-facial surgery. This paper describes a more refined technique applicable to the requirements of alveolar bone grafting. The Craig bone biopsy set is used to trephine cores of autogenous particulate marrow and cancellous bone from the iliac bone. The method was tested in a cadaver and then applied in 10 clinical cases. The aesthetic and functional results of this technique proved to be superior to the conventional approach.