Health-related quality of life, jaw function and sleep-disordered breathing among patients with dentofacial deformity.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients with dentofacial deformity (DFD) requiring orthognathic treatment have poor aesthetics, jaw function and psychological well-being, which potentially affect the quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the health-related general, oral and orthognathic quality of life, jaw function and sleep-disordered breathing at different stages of orthognathic surgical treatment. METHODS: A total of 120 consecutive patients with DFD were recruited and grouped as pre-orthodontic treatment (group 1), pre-surgery (group 2), 4 months post-surgery (group 3), 24 months post-surgery (group 4) and in addition 30 controls without DFD (group 0). Outcomes were assessed using general health Short Form Survey (SF-36), Oral Health Impact (OHIP-14), Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ), STOP-Bang and Jaw Function Limitation Scale (JFLS) questionnaires. In addition, presence or absence of pain was recorded. Data were tested with analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test, Tukey post hoc test and structural equation modelling (SEM). RESULTS: Results revealed SF-36 (p = .814) and STOP-Bang (p = .143) total scores did not differ between control and treatment groups. In contrast, OHIP-14, OQLQ and JFLS total scores differed between groups (p = .001). Higher scores were observed in groups 1 (p = .001), 2 (p = .001) and 3 (p = .041) compared to group 0, indicating poor oral health in patients with DFD. Importantly, in group 4, oral health-related quality of life was better, and OHIP-14 (p = .936) and JFLS (p = .572) scores did not differ from controls. OQLQ scores of group 4 were significantly lower than group 1 (p = .001) but higher than group 0 (p = .013). SEM results revealed a significant negative associations of pain with JFLS and OQLQ; OHIP-14 with OQLQ; OHIP-14 with SF-36; and finally STOP-Bang with SF-36. Positive associations were observed between JFLS and OHIP-14; OHIP-14 and OQLQ. CONCLUSION: Oral health-related quality of life and jaw function appears to be improved 24 months after orthognathic surgery. Pain and limitation in jaw function had a negative association with health-related quality of life.

Associations between temporomandibular disorders, pain, jaw and masticatory function in dentofacial deformity patients: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Patients with dentofacial deformity often present with impaired masticatory function, orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders (TMD). This study investigates the relationship between TMD, pain, jaw and masticatory function at different stages of orthognathic surgical (OS) treatment. METHODS: A total of 120 OS patients were prospectively recruited and grouped as pre-orthodontic (group 1), pre-surgery (group 2), 4-month post-surgery (group 3), 24-month post-surgery (group 4), in addition to 30 controls (group 0). Outcomes were assessed using: Jaw Function Limitation Scale (JFLS), McGill pain questionnaire, DC/TMD instrument, voluntary maximum bite force (MVBF), and masticatory efficiency (ME) using two-coloured chewing gum. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. RESULTS: The prevalence of non-painful TMD did not differ between groups (p = .827). However, the prevalence of painful TMD differed between groups (p = .001). Among the painful TMDs, the highest prevalence was observed for masseter myalgia in group 2 (p = .031), and importantly group 4 did not differ from group 0 (p = .948). The MPQ score was significantly higher in group 1 (p = .001) compared to group 0, and the JFLS score was significantly higher in groups 1, 2 and 3 compared to group 0. Notably, MPQ (p = .756) and JFLS (p = .572) scores in group 4 were not different from group 0. However, MVBF (p = .996) and ME (p = .991) did not differ between groups 1 and 4. The association of self-reported pain and jaw function with the masticatory function was observed in OS patients. CONCLUSION: OS was not associated with a negative impact on TMD. Jaw function and pain levels were similar to controls at the 24-month follow-up. The masticatory function was further affected by the surgery and seems to require a longer recovery time. Moreover, it was confirmed that pain and TMD were associated with limitations in jaw function and impacts on masticatory function.

Pharyngeal airway changes five years after bimaxillary surgery - A retrospective study.

The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate pharyngeal airway (PA) changes after bimaxillary surgery (BMS). Preoperative, immediate- and 5-year postoperative cone-beam computed tomography images of subjects who underwent BMS were assessed. The primary outcome variable was the PA volume. The secondary outcome variables were the retropalatal and oropharyngeal volumes, cross-sectional area, minimal hydraulic diameter, soft tissue, skeletal movements and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). A total of 50 patients were included, 33 female and 17 male, with a mean age of 26.5 years. A significant increase in the PA volume was seen immediately after surgery (40%), and this increase was still present at 5-year follow-up (34%) (P < 0.001). A linear mixed model regression analysis revealed that a mandibular advancement of ≥5 mm (P = 0.025) and every 1-mm upward movement of epiglottis (P = 0.016) was associated with a volume increase of the oropharyngeal compartment. Moreover, ≥5-mm upward movement of hyoid bone (P = 0.034) and every 1-mm increase in minimal hydraulic diameter (P < 0.001) correlated with an increase of the PA volume. A total of 30 subjects reported improvement in the SDB at 5-year follow-up. This study demonstrated that BMS led to an increase in PA dimensions in non-OSA patients, and these changes were still present at 5-year follow-up. BMS seemed to induce clinical improvement in SDB.

Novel three-dimensional methods to analyze the morphology of the nasal cavity and pharyngeal airway.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the intraexaminer and interexaminer reliabilities of novel semiautomatic methods to segment the nasal cavity (NC) and pharyngeal airway (PA) and to determine the minimal cross-sectional area (CS) and hydraulic diameter (HD) of the PA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To test reproducibility, two examiners analyzed the NC and PA independently in 10 retrospectively selected cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images using semiautomatic segmentation. The PA centerline was determined to assess the minimal CS and HD. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to calculate intraexaminer and interexaminer reliabilities. Measurement errors were assessed by Dahlberg's formula and paired t-tests. The level of agreement was assessed using the Bland-Altman method. RESULTS: Intraexaminer and interexaminer reliabilities were excellent (minimal ICC, 0.960). The error of the method was good except for interexaminer values for the oropharynx (P = .016). The minimal CS and HD measurements were reliable (minimal ICC, 0.993; narrow limits of agreement). CONCLUSIONS: The novel methods for analysis of the NC and PA are reliable. The minimal CS and HD demonstrated excellent reliabilities, which are critical to detect the most constricted part of the PA. Separation of the oropharynx from the voids close to the retroglossal area is not trivial and should be considered with caution.