Tissue engineering strategies for alveolar cleft reconstruction: a systematic review of the literature

To date, a great number of tissue engineering strategies have been suggested for alveolar cleft reconstruction; however, autologous bone grafting seems to remain the golden standard. A systematic review of the literature was conducted in order to evaluate the clinical evidence pertaining to enhancement or replacement of the autologous bone graft in the alveolar cleft by means of tissue-engineered substitutes; 16 articles were selected for analysis. Tissue engineering strategies for alveolar cleft grafting included enhancing the autologous bone graft by means of platelet-rich plasma addition, the use of barrier membranes and fibrin glue, extension of the autologous graft with calcium phosphate scaffolds, and replacement of the graft using bone morphogenetic protein-2, mesenchymal stem cells, or calcium phosphate scaffolds. Selected articles showed a vast heterogeneity in data acquisition and patient selection. Therefore, a meta-analysis could not be performed. Future publications concerning this topic should be methodologically sound and preferably use three-dimensional radiological imaging for pre- and postoperative results. Bypassing or enhancing autologous bone grafting by means of tissue engineering solutions has become an important topic in alveolar cleft grafting. Replacement of the autologous bone graft will result in absence of donor site morbidity in this predominantly young population.