Stability of the anterior maxillary segment and teeth after segmental le fort I osteotomy and postoperative skeletal elastic fixation with or without occlusal splint.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the short term dental and skeletal stability of the anterior maxillary segment after segmental Le Fort I osteotomy with postoperative skeletal elastic fixation with or without occlusal splint.


METHODS
29 consecutive patients underwent segmental Le Fort I osteotomy and elastic skeletal fixation was applied. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether a fixed occlusal splint was used for six weeks (group A) or dismounted perioperatively (group B). Changes in landmarks and reference planes between the two timepoints were estimated on lateral cephalometric radiographs.


RESULTS

The upper incisor had a mean intrusion of -0.56 mm (SD 0.77; range -2.04 to 1.08 mm) and a mean posterior movement of -0.93 mm (SD 1.03; range -2.52 to 0.96 mm). The mean change in the axial inclination of the upper incisor was -0.33° (SD 2.56; range -6° to 4°) (95% CI: -1.75 to 1.08°). Group B: The upper incisor had a mean intrusion of -0.13 mm (SD 1.36; range -1.92 to 3.6 mm) and a mean anterior movement of 0.11 mm (SD 1.78; range -2.88 to 3.84 mm). The mean change in the axial inclination of the upper incisor was -0.07° (SD 3.05; range -5° to 5°) (95% CI: -1.83 to 1.69°). There was no statistically significant difference in stability between the two groups at the P value 0.05.


CONCLUSIONS
The skeletal anterior fixation with postoperative elastics for eight weeks may not compromise the early postoperative dental and skeletal stability of the anterior segment in segmental Le Fort I osteotomy.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg Denmark.
Tue Lindberg
TL
Blæhr
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg Denmark.
Thomas
T
Jensen
Center for Cardiovascular Research, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg Denmark.
Karen Margrethe
KM
Due
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg Denmark.
Bjarne
B
Neumann-Jensen
LeFort osteotomy; maxillofacial orthognatic surgery; open bite; skeletal fixation