Purpose: The repair of a wide alveolar cleft is often problematic. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficacy of recombinant human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (rhBMP-2) as a reconstructive tool for primary alveolar cleft repair.

Methods & Materials: Cleft lip repair with periosteoplasty provides an optimal opportunity to reconstruct the alveolus. A case is presented in which a 12 mm alveolar cleft is repaired, using rhBMP-2, at the time of the cleft lip repair. The quality and quantity of the bone produced are evaluated by comparing pre- and post-operative CT scans.

Results: Computed tomography demonstrates new bone growth in the alveolar cleft.

Conclusions: The use of rhBMP-2 to repair an alveolar cleft at the time of the primary cleft lip repair appears to be effective. In addition, the use of rhBMP-2 in the alveolar cleft reconstruction obviates the need for an additional procedure to harvest bone graft.