title: Assessing the need for a protocol in monitoring weight loss and nutritional status in orthognathic surgery based on patients experiences.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate retrospectively the orthognathic surgery (OGS) patients experience in weight loss and the influence of gender, age, duration of the surgical procedure, length of hospital stay, location of surgery and use of intermaxillary fixation (IMF) or without IMF on postoperative weight loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 4487 patients treated by OGS where all patients visited the outpatient clinic one, three and six weeks after the surgical procedure. After six weeks, patients filled out a questionnaire in which weight loss was addressed. The patients were asked to give an estimate of their experiences weight loss. The population was first divided in two groups weight loss and no weight loss.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the weight loss group there is no significant difference in weight loss between patients with IMF and patients without IMF. In the weight loss group there were significantly more females then males. Further, in the subgroup IMF the operation time was significantly longer compared with the subgroup without IMF. The other parameters including age and hospital stay were not different in the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IMF in orthognathic treatment does not result in a difference self-reported loss of body weight compared to patients without IMF. Treatment protocols should include pre- and post-operative dietician consultations and possible indications for medical nutrition and vitamins.Key words:Assessing, protocol, weight loss, experiences, orthognathic surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Faculty of Dentistry Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Oral Pathology, VU University Medical Center/Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruslin
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Oral Pathology, VU University Medical Center/Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Oral Pathology, VU University Medical Center/Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dirk B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Tuinzing
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Oral Pathology, VU University Medical Center/Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Tymour
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Forouzanfar