title: Neurosensory changes of palatal mucousa following Le Fort I osteotomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study evaluated the sensation of palatal mucosa before and after Le Fort I osteotomy and compared it based on whether greater palatine nerve has been dissected or not.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen patients were studied within one week before surgery and then one week, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months after surgery. Four tests including sharp-blunt discrimination, cold perception, pin prick sensation and electrical stimulation were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean values of electrical stimulation were significantly higher 6 months after surgery (p < 0.05), on the other hand mean values of pin-prick sensation were significantly lower (p < 0.05). All patients regardless of the condition of greater palatine nerve were responsive to cold perception and sharp-blunt discrimination 6 months after surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following Le Fort I osteotomy, palatal responsiveness to electrical stimulation decreases and mechanical hyper sensitization occurs. Dissection of greater palatine nerve was shown to have no effect on the results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Torabinejad Dental Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Bijan Movahedian
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Attar
authors.forename: Navid Farzad
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Far