The quality of life in orthognathic surgery: surgery first versus traditional orthognathic surgery evaluation.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to evaluate the differences in terms of Quality of life and the degree of satisfaction with the result obtained between the two groups of patients treated with the orthodontic first approach and surgery first approach, through administered questionnaires inserted in the post-operative phase. METHODS: A total of 40 patients who previously underwent orthognathic surgery were included in this study, 20 treated with the orthodontic first approach and 20 treated with the Surgery First Approach. The impact of orthognathic surgery on patients' quality of life was recorded through the administration of the OHIP-14 test, FACE-Q test scale and FACE-Q test. Comparison between the two groups was done using a nonparametric inferential statistical test, the Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: The results showed no significant differences in terms of quality of life between the two groups. Patients treated with orthodontic first approach presented greater psychological distress and perceived their faces as unattractive. CONCLUSIONS: A worsening of the aesthetics of the face determined by the orthodontic approach before surgery, may not be decisive in the quality of life of patients, which will certainly be better after surgery. SFA and OFA determine in both cases a marked improvement in the patient's quality of life.

Surgery First and Surgery Early Treatment Approach in Orthognathic Surgery.

We have observed a revival of the original Surgery First approach in orthognathic surgery. Fully digital planning and simulation of the surgery has improved the predictability of Surgery First procedures. The orthodontist plays a crucial role in the successful management of Surgery First and Surgery Early cases. Surgery First and Surgery Early procedures have made the correction of a dentofacial deformity and dysgnathia a clear and transparent procedure. The decision of the treatment protocol is based on a thorough consideration and discussion between the surgeon, the orthodontist, and the patient for a successful outcome.

First-in-man application of a cold ablation robot guided laser osteotome in midface osteotomies.

The aim of the study was to assess the clinical applicability of robot guided laser osteotomy for clinical application. This is the initial report on 14 consecutive patients requiring an orthognathic procedure with a midface osteotomy (no restrictions made on the surgical indication itself) who have undergone surgery by means of the Cold Ablation Laser Osteotome CARLO® (AOT Advanced Osteotomy Tools, Basle, Switzerland), which is an integrated system, functionally comprising: an Er:YAG laser source, intended to perform osteotomies using cold laser ablation, a robot arm that controls the position of the laser source, an optical tracking device that provides a continuous and accurate measurement of the position of the laser source and of reference elements attached to instruments or bones, a navigation system (software) that is able to read preoperatively defined planned osteotomies, and - under the control of a surgeon - performs the planned osteotomies. Safety was assessed by unimpaired postoperative healing and the absence of device related injuries; performance was assessed as ability to cut the maxilla along the preoperatively planned cutting path with a rage of accuracy of 2mm. Cold ablation robot-guided laser osteotomy could successfully be performed in 14 consecutive patients. No intraoperative complications or technical failure occurred. All osteotomies were within an average deviation of 0.80 mm (±0.26 mm) of the virtually preplanned location. The registration procedure to set up the robot at the beginning of the operation required a mean time of 4.6 min (±5.3min). In this report we describe the effective and successful routine use of Cold ablation robot-guided laser osteotomy in an actual clinical setting. It is a promising technical innovation that has the potential to set new standards for accuracy and safety in orthognathic surgery.

Cold Ablation Robot-Guided Laser Osteotome (CARLO®): From Bench to Bedside.

BACKGROUND: In order to overcome the geometrical and physical limitations of conventional rotating and piezosurgery instruments used to perform bone osteotomies, as well as the difficulties in translating digital planning to the operating room, a stand-alone robot-guided laser system has been developed by Advanced Osteotomy Tools, a Swiss start-up company. We present our experiences of the first-in-man use of the Cold Ablation Robot-guided Laser Osteotome (CARLO®). METHODS: The CARLO® device employs a stand-alone 2.94-µm erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser mounted on a robotic arm. A 19-year-old patient provided informed consent to undergo bimaxillary orthognathic surgery. A linear Le Fort I midface osteotomy was digitally planned and transferred to the CARLO® device. The linear part of the Le Fort I osteotomy was performed autonomously by the CARLO® device under direct visual control. All pre-, intra-, and postoperative technical difficulties and safety issues were documented. Accuracy was analyzed by superimposing pre- and postoperative computed tomography images. RESULTS: The CARLO® device performed the linear osteotomy without any technical or safety issues. There was a maximum difference of 0.8 mm between the planned and performed osteotomies, with a root-mean-square error of 1.0 mm. The patient showed normal postoperative healing with no complications. CONCLUSION: The newly developed stand-alone CARLO® device could be a useful alternative to conventional burs, drills, and piezosurgery instruments for performing osteotomies. However, the technical workflow concerning the positioning and fixation of the target marker and the implementation of active depth control still need to be improved. Further research to assess safety and accuracy is also necessary, especially at osteotomy sites where direct visual control is not possible. Finally, cost-effectiveness analysis comparing the use of the CARLO® device with gold-standard surgery protocols will help to define the role of the CARLO® device in the surgical landscape.

Changes of temporomandibular joint position after surgery first orthognathic treatment concept.

Orthognathic surgery treatment (OGS) after orthodontic treatment of dentofacial deformities is a widely performed procedure, often accompanied by a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO). Positioning of the condyle during this procedure is a crucial step for achieving optimal functional and anatomical results. Intraoperatively poorly positioned condyles can have a negative effect on the postoperative result and the patient's well-being. Changes of the condylar position during OGS Procedures and its effects on the temporomandibular joint in orthognathic surgical interventions (OGS) are subject of scientific discussions. However, up to date, no study has investigated the role of condyle position in the surgery first treatment concept. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of OGS on the three-dimensional position of the condyle in the joint in a surgery first treatment concept without positioning device and to record the change in position quantitatively and qualitatively. Analysis of our data indicated that OGS in surgery first treatment concept has no significant effect on the position of the condyle and the anatomy of the temporomandibular joint.

Accuracy of soft tissue prediction in surgery-first treatment concept in orthognathic surgery: A prospective study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to provide a quantitative accuracy assessment of soft tissue predictions generated by a computer-aided maxillofacial planning system in patients undergoing orthognathic surgery following the "surgery-first" treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this study, we looked at 16 patients with open bite dentofacial-dysmorphosis who underwent orthognathic surgery. Surgeries were planned using conventional sketches and the newly developed computer-assisted SOTIRIOS planning software (developed by the authors). Validation procedures were performed in the following steps: (1) Standardized registration of the pre- and postoperative CT volumes; (2) Automated adjustment of the bone-related preoperative planning to the actual postoperative bony displacement; (3) Simulation of soft tissue changes according to the definitive bony movements; and (4) Calculation of soft tissue differences between the predicted and the actual 6-month postoperative results by distance mapping. RESULTS: The program produced a clinically satisfactory 3D soft tissue prediction, with a mean error of 1.46 mm ± 1.53 mm. The program was suitable for use in virtual surgical planning without technical assistance. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the program is quite accurate, enabling the surgeon to predict the outcome of the soft tissue. This has the potential to promote the routine application of the surgery-first approach in patients suffering from open bite.

Perception of aesthetics and personality traits in orthognathic surgery patients: A comparison of still and moving images.

It is common in practicing orthognathic surgery to evaluate faces with retruded or protruded chins (dysgnathic faces) using photographs. Because motion may alter how the face is perceived, we investigated the perception of faces presented via photographs and videos. Two hundred naïve raters (lay persons, without maxillo facial surgery background) evaluated 12 subjects with varying chin anatomy [so-called skeletal Class I (normal chin), Class II (retruded chin), and Class III (protruded chin)]. Starting from eight traits, with Factor analysis we found a two-Factor solution, i.e. an "aesthetics associated traits cluster" and a Factor "personality traits cluster" which appeared to be uncorrelated. Internal consistency of the Factors found for photographs and videos was excellent. Generally, female raters delivered better ratings than males, but the effect sizes were small. We analyzed differences and the respective effect magnitude between photograph and video perception. For each skeletal class the aesthetics associated dimensions were rated similarly between photographs and video clips. In contrast, specific personality traits were rated differently. Differences in the class-specific personality traits seen on photographs were "smoothed" in the assessment of videos, which implies that photos enhance stereotypes commonly attributed to a retruded or protruded chin.

Facial esthetics and the assignment of personality traits before and after orthognathic surgery rated on video clips.

Typically, before and after surgical correction faces are assessed on still images by surgeons, orthodontists, the patients, and family members. We hypothesized that judgment of faces in motion and by naïve raters may closer reflect the impact on patients' real life, and the treatment impact on e.g. career chances. Therefore we assessed faces from dysgnathic patients (Class II, III and Laterognathia) on video clips. Class I faces served as anchor and controls. Each patient's face was assessed twice before and after treatment in changing sequence, by 155 naïve raters with similar age to the patients. The raters provided independent estimates on aesthetic trait pairs like ugly /beautiful, and personality trait pairs like dominant /flexible. Furthermore the perception of attractiveness, intelligence, health, the persons' erotic aura, faithfulness, and five additional items were rated. We estimated the significance of the perceived treatment related differences and the respective effect size by general linear models for repeated measures. The obtained results were comparable to our previous rating on still images. There was an overall trend, that faces in video clips are rated along common stereotypes to a lesser extent than photographs. We observed significant class differences and treatment related changes of most aesthetic traits (e.g. beauty, attractiveness), these were comparable to intelligence, erotic aura and to some extend healthy appearance. While some personality traits (e.g. faithfulness) did not differ between the classes and between baseline and after treatment, we found that the intervention significantly and effectively altered the perception of the personality trait self-confidence. The effect size was highest in Class III patients, smallest in Class II patients, and in between for patients with Laterognathia. All dysgnathic patients benefitted from orthognathic surgery. We conclude that motion can mitigate marked stereotypes but does not entirely offset the mostly negative perception of dysgnathic faces.

Long-term success of surgery in bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJs).

OBJECTIVES: Bisphosphonates are associated with osteonecrosis of the jaw. Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) may be treated conservatively or by surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 108 patients underwent surgery and 88 patients were followed for a mean period of 337 days. Age, gender, dental procedures, underlying disease, and the role of bisphosphonate treatment in the success of surgery were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: Surgical treatment improved the stage distribution from 19% stage I, 56% stage II and 25% stage III to 59% intact mucosa, 19% stage I and 13% stage II and 8% stage III. The improvement in the stage of disease achieved by surgery was statistically significant. Further relevant parameters that favor a positive outcome of surgery were the event triggering the outbreak of BRONJ (p=0.05) and the underlying disease (p=0.05). BRONJ in the maxilla necessitated repeat surgery significantly earlier than did BRONJ in the mandible (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: Effective surgery might improve the outcome of BRONJ, although prevention still is the most important aspect of this condition.

Maxillomandibular advancement for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: To perform a systematic review of the published data concerning maxillomandibular advancement for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed in the PubMed database. Original articles in the English language were reviewed to obtain information about patient data, success rates, and outcome measures. RESULTS: The systematic literature search yielded 1,113 citations, of which 101 articles met our inclusion criteria. After a review of the full text, 39 studies were included in the analysis. Most articles were classified as evidence level 4, and 5 met the inclusion criteria for level 2b. The only prospective randomized controlled study had been published in January 2010 and was assigned level 1b. CONCLUSIONS: A recommendation grade of A to B was achieved with regard to the levels of evidence-based medicine. Our results have shown that maxillomandibular advancement is the most successful surgical therapy, and the postoperative polysomnography results are comparable to those under ventilation therapy.