Psychosocial well-being of prospective orthognathic-surgical patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the psychosocial well-being of prospective orthognathic-surgical patients and controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty patients referred for assessment of orthognathic-surgical treatment need and 29 controls participated. All participants filled in the modified version of Secord and Jourard's Body Image Questionnaire, the Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II and a structured diary developed by the authors. Patients also filled in the Symptom Checklist 90. Patients assessed their dental appearance on a visual analogue scale modified from the Aesthetic Component (AC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need. Professional assessment was made from study models with the AC. RESULTS: Patients rating their dental appearance as AC grades 5-10 suffered from lower orthognathic quality-of-life and poorer body image than the controls, while those with AC grades of 1-4 only had poorer oral function. Self-perceived dental appearance was more important to orthognathic quality-of-life and body image than an orthodontist's assessment. Patients and controls had equal psychological flexibility and self-esteem. In all, 23-57% of patients had significant psychiatric symptoms, which explained the adverse emotions patients felt during the day. Fifteen per cent of the patients had been bullied. CONCLUSIONS: Many orthognathic-surgical patients cope well with their dentofacial deformities, despite functional masticatory problems. It seems that a subjective view of dental appearance may be a key factor in finding patients with psychosocial problems. It should be a major issue when considering psychosocial support and other treatment options.

Patients' perceptions of orthognathic treatment, well-being, and psychological or psychiatric status: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of studies concerning the psychosocial well-being of surgical-orthodontic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Articles published between 2001 and 2009 were searched using PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycInfo. Only articles written in English were included. Articles on methodological issues or on patients with clefts or syndromes or studies in which treatment had included surgically assisted maxillary expansion or intermaxillary fixation were excluded. The exclusion of articles was carried out in collaboration with two reviewers. To find new relevant articles, references from all the obtained review articles were hand-searched. Thirty-five articles fulfilled the selection criteria and were included in this review. RESULTS: The main motives for seeking treatment were improvements in self-confidence, appearance, and oral function. Patients were not found to suffer from psychiatric problems. Treatment resulted in self-reported improvements in well-being, even though these improvements were not found with current assessment methods. Changes in well-being were most often registered using measures designed for evaluation of the impact of oral health on quality of life (e.g. the Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Oral Health Impact Profile). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical-orthodontic patients do not experience psychiatric problems related to their dentofacial disharmony in general. However, subgroups of patients may still experience problems, such as anxiety or depression, as many studies only report patients' mean problem scores and compare them to controls' scores or population norms. New assessment methods focusing on day-to-day changes in mood and well-being, as well as prospective studies with controls, are needed.