Reconstruction of the superior gingiva-labial sulcus in bilateral cleft lip palate patients: Our experience

Abstract

Introduction: In many bilateral cleft lip palate patients the prolabium often remains adherent to the premaxilla and the upper alveolar-labial sulcus is absent. Cleft surgeons have struggled with this problem for many decades and a number of procedures have been described in the literature to correct this deformity. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of the records of all patients who underwent upper gingivobuccal sulcus reconstruction between August 2003 and December 2012 was carried out. Results: A total of 97 patients were underwent upper gingivolabial sulcus reconstruction with full thickness skin graft from August 2003 to December 2012, a period of 9 years and 5 months. Discussion: An adequate sublabial or gingivolabial sulcus is crucial to both the function as well as the esthetics of the upper lip. Paucity of tissues in bilateral cleft lip and palate patients during lip repair often leads to a ′tight′ repair with little or no sulcus at all. The full thickness skin graft has many benefits. It can be harvested in greater quantities than the mucosal graft, takes well, is hairless and does not contract or harden to any significant degree. One significant disadvantage of the skin graft in the upper labial sulcus is its pigmentation that can continue to irk the patients even after several years and probably forever.

Keywords

• labial sulcus
• reconstruction
• skin graft