We report a case of secondary alveolar bone grafting (ABG) without removal of a supernumerary tooth in a patient with unilateral cleft lip and palate. A conical supernumerary tooth located distal to the upper left central incisor within the cleft site was left in situ at the time of ABG. The tooth within the ABG site commenced resorption from both the apical and incisal edges until only minor tooth remnants remained at 22 months. Although external root resorption of teeth neighboring a cleft site has been described previously, this is the first report of almost complete tooth resorption following ABG.
Keywords: bone grafting; dental anomalies; maxilla; orthodontics; surgical complications; tooth development.