Complications of Orthognathic Surgery

Objective: This retrospective report assesses the incidence of intra-operative and post-operative complications of orthognathic surgery. Materials and Methods: The records of 39 patients who had orthognathic surgery at the Center for Correction of Dentofacial Deformities, Faculty of Dentistry, Thammasat University during 6-year period between January, 2001- April, 2007 were examined. Total number of operations was 77. All records referring to problems and complications from the surgery to follow-up periods were collected and analysed. Results: Most of the patients were females (76.9%). The age range was between 18-54 years (mean age = 28.6±9.02 years). Most of them (66.7%) had one-jaw deformities. Twenty-six Le Fort I osteotomy and forty-five SSRO operations were performed. The most common complication was inferior alveolar nerve injuries with 10.0% incidence. Other complications, including post-operative bleeding, wound dehiscence, wound infection, condylar displacement, eye and ear complications were also found. Conclusions: The complications of orthognathic surgery in this report are infrequent and not serious. Good patient evaluation with advanced technology may reduce the incidence, but it still possibly occurs.