Recovery of mandibular mobility following orthognathic surgery

Abstract

The aim of this prospective study was to define the patterns of recovery of mandibular mobility following three commonly performed orthognathic surgical procedures. Twenty-two consecutive patients undergoing either isolated Le Fort I osteotomy (LE FORT; n = 7), sagittal split ramus osteotomies (SSRO; n = 7), or intraoral vertical ramus osteotomies (IVRO; n = 9) were studied. LE FORT and SSRO patients had no mandibular immobilization, whereas IVRO patients were immobilized by dental fixation for 3 weeks. Mandibular mobility was assessed by measurement of maximal mandibular opening (MMO) and lateral and protrusive excursions. No significant difference in MMO was observed between groups prior to surgery (LE FORT, 47.0 mm; SSRO, 50.7 mm; IVRO, 54.5 mm). A significant reduction in MMO occurred immediately after surgery in the LE FORT and SSRO groups and at release of fixation in the IVRO group. Each group returned to presurgical levels of mandibular mobility at a different rate following surgery. LE FORT patients recovered quickly, regaining 83% (mean, 38.7 mm) of MMO by 1 month and exceeded preoperative levels (mean, 49.6 mm) by 6 months. SSRO patients showed hypomobility (mean, 23.5 mm) after 1 month, with significant improvement in MMO (mean, 38.0 mm) at 2 months, and nearly complete recovery (96.2%; mean, 48.8 mm) at 6 months. IVRO patients recovered rapidly after release of dental fixation, achieving 78% (mean, 39.8 mm) of preoperative MMO at 2 months. This study shows that significant differences in recovery patterns of mandibular mobility exist between surgical procedures. The clinician should be aware of these differences in recovery patterns in defining goals for individual patient rehabilitation. Each patient can be expected to regain near-normal MMO in 3 (LE FORT) to 6 (SSRO, IVRO) months using the surgical and physiotherapy procedures described in this study.