Psychiatric morbidity is common in orthognathic surgery patients—a retrospective study

Abstract

The study aimed to clarify psychiatric morbidity in patients who underwent orthognathic surgery (OS) pre- and postoperatively. Patients ≥18 years undergoing OS were included in this retrospective study. The outcome variable was the incidence of new mild, moderate, or severe psychiatric morbidity or exacerbation of preexisting psychiatric morbidity postoperatively. Surgery and patient-related background variables for outcome were analyzed (SPSS for Macintosh, version 27; IBM SPSS, Inc., Armonk, NY, USA). Of 182 patients, 44 (24%) had preceding psychiatric morbidity. It was associated significantly with history of alcohol abuse (P < .001) and smoking (P=.046) and was more common in older patients (P = .042). During the postoperative phase, new psychiatric morbidity or exacerbation of a preexisting psychiatric condition was found in 12 patients (7%). Preceding psychiatric history (OR 8.88, P=.004) and high-dose perioperative dexamethasone (OR 9.81, P=.036) were independent predictors for postoperative psychiatric morbidity. No other evaluated variables were associated with outcome. Psychiatric conditions are common among OS patients. Treatment planning should consider the patient's mental health to minimize the risk of exacerbating psychiatric conditions, and collaboration with psychiatric professionals is recommended. Perioperative high-dose dexamethasone should be used with caution considering possible adverse psychiatric effects.