Does Skeletal Facial Profile Influence Preoperative Motives and Postoperative Satisfaction? A Prospective Study of 66 Surgical-Orthodontic Patients

Abstract

The aim of the present prospective study was to assess whether patients' pretreatment facial profile influenced their motives for wanting a change in their appearance. We also assessed whether their post-treatment facial profile influenced their overall satisfaction with surgical-orthodontic treatment, the perceived change in facial profile, and general appearance. Finally, we assessed whether their degree of satisfaction was influenced by the specific change in their facial profile. The gender differences in these variables were also analyzed. A total of 66 orthognathic surgery patients were examined. The skeletal facial profile was analyzed on the lateral head films. Using the sagittal relationship between the maxilla and mandible, all patients were classified into 1 of 9 facial profile types before and after treatment. The influence of the patients' appearance on their motives before treatment and their satisfaction after treatment were evaluated using questionnaires. The preoperative facial profile type had no influence on the strength of the appearance motives; however, men had stronger appearance motives than did women. Treatment was associated with a high degree of satisfaction with both the overall result of the treatment and the perceived change in profile and general appearance. Of those patients who obtained a relative prognathic mandibula after treatment, the men voiced more outspoken satisfaction with their general appearance than did the women. The overall treatment satisfaction was not related to any specific changes in the facial profile. Most of the patients expressed strong appearance motives before treatment and high degrees of satisfaction with the treatment afterward. The facial profile types had little influence on these parameters.