Effect of the lateral bone cut end on pattern of lingual split during bilateral sagittal split osteotomy in patients with skeletal class III malocclusion

Abstract

This study examines the effect of the lateral bone cut end (LBCE) on the pattern of lingual split during bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) in patients with skeletal class III malocclusion. A case-control study according to the pattern of the sagittal split osteotomy (SSO) lingual split line was conducted in patients who underwent BSSO. The primary predictor variable was the ratio of the LBCE. The primary outcome variable was the type of lingual fracture line classified according to the lingual split scale (LSS). Other variables included patients’ weight, sex, age, left and right sides of the mandible, and experience of the surgeon. Logistic regression analysis or the chi-squared test was performed to determine the effect of these variables on various types of lingual fracture line. The significance level was 95% (p < 0.05). There were 271 patients enrolled in this study. The SSO lingual split lines were divided into LSS1 (329/542), LSS2 (82/542), LSS3 (93/542), and LSS4 (38/542) splits. Logistic regression analysis showed that the LSS3 split was more likely to appear when the LBCE was closer to the lingual side (p = 0.0017). The age of patients significantly affected the possibilities of LSS2 (p = 0.0008) and LSS3 (p = 0.0023) splits. A LBCE close to the lingual side was an inducer for the formation of a LSS3 split in patients with skeletal class III malocclusion during BSSO. The age of the patient also affected the possibility of LSS2 and LSS3 splits.