Introduction: Orofacial clefts are the most common congenital deformities and reconstruction of the alveolar cleft in lip and palate clefts patients are paramount to proper eruption of permanent teeth, for an eventual prosthetic rehabilitation and closure of oronasal fistula.

Methods: The present study intends to evaluate the result of autogenous osseous graft performed for reconstruction of the alveolar region in patients with lip and palate clefs at the Cleft & Craniofacial Center of the Hospital Geral Universitário, analyzing post-surgical complications. The data was obtained from hospital files within the period of 2004 and 2010. As for the complications, the following variables were recorded: cleft type, gender, age, donor area, type of graft and teeth surrounding the cleft.

Results: Seventy-one patients composed the total number of patients submitted to alveolar cleft bone graft and among then, thirty two presented some sort of complication in which nineteen needed to be reoperated. The total sample displayed a median of 16 years old at the time of surgery, 39 females and 32 males, one palate cleft, 31 lip clefts and 39 lip and palate clefts, iliac anterior crest used in 48 patients, cortical and cancellous bone used in 50 patients.

Conclusion: The obtained results emphasized the greater incidence of complications associated with late alveolar graft, the one that occurs after the eruption of permanent teeth. This suggests that early intervention would be the important to diminish complication incidences.

Conflict of interest: None declared.