title: Changes in bite force and occlusal contacts in patients treated for mandibular prognathism by orthognathic surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in bite force and occlusal contacts before and after orthognathic surgery in patients with mandibular prognathism and to compare the findings with those in controls with normal occlusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bite force and occlusal contacts were analyzed in 23 (7 male and 16 female) patients with mandibular prognathism before and after sagittal split ramus osteotomy, and in 20 (10 male and 10 female) controls with normal occlusion. The bite force and occlusal contacts were simultaneously measured by a computerized occlusal analysis system, the T-Scan system, immediately before surgery, and at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both the bite force and occlusal contacts in the patients were significantly less than those in the controls before surgery. Although both the bite force and occlusal contacts in the patients were improved by the orthognathic surgery, neither approached the level in the controls within 1 year. Bite force was correlated with the number of occlusal contacts in both patient and control groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The postoperative masticatory function does not reach control levels even 1 year after the orthognathic surgery for mandibular prognathism. Therefore, further adjustment of the occlusion should be considered before the end of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwase
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugimori
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kurachi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagumo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001732:Bite Force; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000379:methods; D011378:Prognathism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014070:Tooth / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology