Impact of orthognathic surgery on oral health-related quality of life in patients with jaw deformities

The purpose of this study was to clarify the impact of orthognathic surgery on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) in patients with jaw deformities. The subjects were 65 patients (21 males and 44 females) who underwent orthognathic surgery. The mean age of the patients was 23.6 years. Forty-seven patients had skeletal class III malocclusions, eight patients had skeletal class II, and 10 patients had skeletal class I with facial asymmetry and/or open bite. OHRQOL was assessed using the Japanese version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-J54) before and 6 months after surgery. While OHIP-J54 scores in the patients before surgery were significantly higher than those in the control subjects, OHIP-J54 scores after surgery were significantly lower than those before surgery. OHIP-J54 scores in older patients were significantly higher than those in younger patients. In conclusion, most patients with jaw deformities have lower OHRQOL than individuals with normal occlusion, and orthognathic surgery has a positive impact on OHRQOL. The determination of OHRQOL in patients with jaw deformities seems to be very useful for understanding the patients' problems and for assessing the extent of changes in terms of patient well-being.