Soft Tissue Change in Frontal View after Orthognathic Surgery for Class III Malocclusion: Analysis Using Facial 'Phi' Mask

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Dr. Marquardt made the facial 'phi' mask using golden ratio. Most class III patients have bulky faces and want a smaller face. Using a facial golden mask, this study estimated and compared frontal photographs before and after operation for soft tissue measurement. The golden mask can be considered as a reference tool for facial esthetic analyses especially in lower face.METHODS: Forty patients who had undergone orthognathic surgery at Samsung Medical Center from January 2006 to December 2009 were included in this study. These patients had Class III malocclusion. Lateral cephalometric radiographs, frontal clinical photos of pre-op and 8~12 month later post-op, and the facial 'phi' mask using golden ratio, were used for analysis. Reduction of the lower face area, occlusal plane changes, amounts of mandible setback and amounts of maxilla posterior impaction were estimated.RESULTS: Lower facial reduction ratio and mandibular setback amounts were significantly different between 1-jaw and 2-jaw groups. Average postoperative changes in the area of lower face between bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSRO) and BSSRO combined maxilla posterior impaction were compared by using an independent simple t-test and P value was 0.016. Therefore, the lower facial reduction ratio and mandibular setback amount were significantly different in maxilla posterior impaction.CONCLUSION: The two-jaw surgery group showed more reduction of the lower facial area than the 1-jaw surgery group. The amount of lower facial reduction was more related with the amount of mandibular setback. There was no significant relation in lower facial reduction with amount of maxilla posterior impaction, pre-op occlusal plane, post-op occlusal plane and the mandibular angle. A relationship between the change in the lower facial area and the amount of maxilla posterior impaction or the change of mandibular angle occlusal plane at pre-op could not be found because of the difference in the amount of setback between two groups.