Abstract:
The purposes of this study were to investigate Thai patients’ perceptions of
postsurgical problems or difficulties, long-term side-effects, treatment benefits and
patients’ satisfaction following orthognathic surgery. The samples were 84
orthodontic-orthognathic surgery patients who had undergone orthognathic surgery 2
months to 5 years previously. Data were collected by questionnaires. Statistical
analysis used was descriptive analyses. Chi-square analyses and Fisher’s Exact tests
were used to determine the relationship between age, sex, type of operation,
postoperative period and the dependent variables. The results were as follows:
1. Most of the orthognathic patients were satisfied with the overall
treatment (98%) and the treatment outcomes (79-98%). The high rate of satisfaction
was due to the surgical goals of patients being fulfilled. Dental esthetics was perceived
as the largest improvement and was very satisfactory to by most patients. This was
followed by facial esthetics, self-confidence, social interaction, masticatory function
and speech.
2. Numbness, facial swelling, eating difficulty, pain, speaking difficulty,
and tiredness, are common in immediate postsurgery. Most symptoms disappeared
within 3 months after surgery. Chewing difficulty continued as long as 12-24 months
due to incomplete orthodontic treatment. Slight numbness continued for longer but did
not disturb the patients’ daily lives. Immediate postsurgical problems or long-term
side-effects did not affect long-term satisfaction (1-5 years postsurgery). Age, sex,
type of operation were not the predictors of satisfaction.
3. Dissatisfactions mainly concerned the preparation and the details of
information about postsurgical problems, postsurgical care and facial appearance
change after surgery.
These findings suggest that proper treatment planning should encompass
dental esthetics and avoid large amount of dental compensation. Patient preparation
and information for surgery and recovery are essential and clinicians should be alert to
the need for comprehensive preoperative preparation