Changes in the chewing path of patients in skeletal class III with and without asymmetry before and after orthognathic surgery.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between changes in the condylar long axis and the chewing path before and after mandibular ramus osteotomy for patients with prognathism with and without asymmetry.


METHODS
Eleven men and 16 women with mandibular prognathism were divided into groups on the basis of symmetry and osteotomy procedure. Preoperative and postoperative frontal chewing paths were recorded. The chewing path consisted of 4 components: deviated side range, undeviated side range, vertical range, and incisal path angle. The angle of the condylar long axis and the 4 components of the chewing path were compared between groups and the differences were analyzed statistically.


RESULTS
No significant differences in each of the 4 chewing path components were found between groups on the basis of symmetry or osteotomy procedure. A positive correlation was found between the changes in incisal path angle when chewing on the undeviated side and condylar long axis angle on the undeviated side (P < .05). A positive correlation was also found between the changes in undeviated side range when chewing on the deviated side and condylar long axis angle on the deviated side (P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that surgically induced increase in the condylar long axis is correlated with increase in side range and incisor path angle, although surgical orthodontic treatment does not significantly change the chewing pattern.
Ueki
Koichiro
K
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surery, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan. kueki@med.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
Marukawa
Kohei
K
Shimada
Mayumi
M
Nakagawa
Kiyomasa
K
Yamamoto
Etsuhide
E
Niizawa
Shigeru
S
D000328:Adult; D002508:Cephalometry / Q000379:methods; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008313:Malocclusion, Angle Class III / Q000601:surgery; D008334:Mandible / Q000601:surgery*; D008335:Mandibular Condyle / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery*; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology*; D019340:Osteotomy, Le Fort; D011378:Prognathism / Q000601:surgery*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric