Quality of life, jaw function and aesthetics in patients treated with orthognathic surgery in comparison with a control group - A controlled and long-term follow-up study

Abstract: Objective: To study the quality of life, jaw function and aesthetics in patients, at least 10 years after they have completed orthognathic treatment, in comparison with a control group. Material and Methods: The sample was retrieved from a previous study by Abrahamsson et al. The treatment group consisted of 94 consecutive patients (59 women and 35 men) with dentofacial deformities who were referred to Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Malmö University Hospital, Sweden for orthognathic surgery. The average age of the treatment group was 22.4 ±7.6 years. The control group consisted of 53 individuals (30 women and 23 men, with mean age 23.4 ± 7.3) and was recruited from the Department of Oral Diagnostics in Dentistry University in Malmö and at the Public Dental Service in Oxie. A questionnaire including Oral health impact profile (OHIP-14), Jaw functional limitation scale (JFLS-8) and Orofacial aesthetic scale (OAS-8) supplemented with two questions directed to the treatment group was sent out to both the treatment and the control group. Result: The response rate was 57% (n=54) in the treatment group and 53% (n=28) in the control group. According to the result from OHIP-14 the quality of life was better in the treatment group in comparison with the control group. However, jaw function and orofacial aesthetics were comparable between the groups according to the results from JFLS-8 and OAS-8. The majority of the patients in this study were very satisfied with the result of orthognathic surgery at 10 years follow-up.Conclusion: Orthognathic treatment has been shown to be a successful treatment not only in term of jaw function and aesthetic but also in enhanced quality of life.