Clinical results of orthognatic surgery in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by intermittent partial or complete obstruction of the airways during sleep and is called OSAS syndrome when associated with day/night symptoms and/or comorbidities, such as systemic arterial hypertension or diabetes mellitus. The prevalence reaches 32% in the general population, varies between 1% and 20% when associated with COPD (overlap syndrome), and is described as above 60% in populations with COPD and obesity. Orthognathic surgery (OC) can correct deformities of the maxillary and mandibular bones in OSAS. Objective: It was to develop the main approaches and clinical results of orthognathic surgery for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome through a systematic review. Methods: The PRISMA Platform systematic review rules were followed. The search was carried out from November 2023 to February 2024 in the Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo, and Google Scholar databases. The quality of the studies was based on the GRADE instrument and the risk of bias was analyzed according to the Cochrane instrument. Results and Conclusion: 146 articles were found, 58 articles were evaluated and 26 were included in this systematic review. Considering the Cochrane tool for risk of bias, the global assessment resulted in 32 studies with a high risk of bias and 22 studies that did not meet GRADE. Most studies showed homogeneity in their results, with X2 =65.8%>50%. Maxillomandibular advancement surgery is a successful treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, but there are still concerns about cosmetic results due to the major advances involved. Bimaxillary advancement osteotomy significantly increases oropharyngeal volume and contracted superficial areas, which remain stable between 6 months and 1 year postoperatively.