Psychosocial and functional outcomes of orthognathic surgery: Comparison with untreated controls

Orthognathic surgery improves quality of life: a survey clinical study

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life (QoL) of patients with dentofacial deformity (n = 107) compared with that of healthy individuals (n = 108) from 2019 to 2020.

METHODS

Oral Health Impact Profile 14 (OHIP-14) and the Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ) were administered to the individuals before surgery (T1) and 6 months after surgery (T2).

RESULTS

Preoperative scores (T1) were greater in the surgical group than in the control group in all domains of both surveys (p ≤ 0.001). Postoperative scores (T2) in the surgery group decreased significantly after surgery in all domains in both surveys (p < 0.001). The OHIP-14 scores in the control group at T2 were significantly greater than those in the other domains except for functional limitation at T1. The type of surgery had no effect on quality of life. Class III patients had higher preoperative scores in certain domains. Postoperative physical disability (p = 0.037), physical pain (p = 0.047), and preoperative social disability (p = 0.030) scores of OHIP-14 awareness of dentofacial aesthetics of OQLQ (p = 0.019) were found to be higher in females than in males.

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed that orthognathic surgery positively affected quality of life. The control group showed differences in T1 and T2 scores, which can be attributed to their psychological status.

Psychosocial changes in patients submitted to orthodontic surgery treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aims to answer the following question: What is the psychological impact of orthognathic surgery on patients with dentofacial deformities undergoing orthodontic-surgical treatment?

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The search was adapted for each of the following databases: American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences (LILACS), Cochrane Library, Embase, Psychinfo, PubMed/Medline, Scopus and Web of Science, and gray literature using Google Scholar, OpenGrey, and ProQuest. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Assessment Checklist. This study performed estimates of interest, random-effects meta-analyses, and calculated heterogeneity using Higgins inconsistency index (I²).

RESULTS

A total of 6751 references were found in all searches. After applying the eligibility criteria after full-text reading, 37 studies comprised the final qualitative synthesis. Thirteen studies were included in quantitative synthesis, and it was possible to meta-analyze data from the following questionnaires: GHQ-28, MMPI, RSES, and SCL-90-R. There was an improvement in psychological aspects related to depression, hysteria, self-esteem, anxiety, obsessive-compulsiveness, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideas, and psychoticism (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Correction of dentofacial deformity through orthodontic-surgical treatment is associated with improvements observed in several psychological domains, especially in relation to depressive states.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

This result highlights the importance of surgeons and orthodontists in promoting adequate control of patients' expectations and treatment goals taking into account the individual's psychological aspects.

Risk Factors for Facial Appearance Dissatisfaction Among Orthognathic Patients: Comparing Patients to a Non-Surgical Sample

This study conducted a cross-sectional investigation of facial appearance dissatisfaction between patients before undergoing orthognathic surgery and a non-surgical sample to evaluate the potential influencing factors of facial appearance dissatisfaction. A sample of 354 participants completed a set of questionnaires concerning facial appearance dissatisfaction, interpersonal pressure, media pressure, and fear of negative appearance evaluation (112 patients, 242 controls). The patients reported higher facial appearance dissatisfaction, more media pressure, more interpersonal pressure, and a greater fear of negative appearance evaluation among others than the control group. Moreover, regression analyses identified interpersonal pressure and fear of negative appearance evaluation as the main predictors of facial appearance dissatisfaction whether in the orthognathic patients or the control groups. The associations between the perceptions of interpersonal pressure, fear of negative appearance evaluation, and facial appearance dissatisfaction support the possible utility of strengthening social experiences and psychological intervention in preventing and treating these appearance-concerns, especially for the orthognathic patients.

Evaluating societal outcomes of orthognathic surgery: an innovative application of the Social Return on Investment methodology to patients after orthognathic treatment

Outcomes after orthognathic treatment are complex, and include improvements to mental and physical health, and psychosocial adjustments. The Social Return on Investment (SROI), a framework that is recognised by the government, explores the wider social value of interventions, but has not yet, to our knowledge, been used to measure the value of surgical procedures. To test its feasibility in a surgical setting and to begin to understand the wider nature of the changes experienced by patients after orthognathic surgery, we designed a pilot study that focused on the first two stages of the six-stage model. We collected data from 16 participants about their perceptions and experiences of the short, medium, and longer term outcomes of their treatment during two qualitative storyboard workshops. A grounded theory-SROI method was used to explore their experiences through a process of constant comparison by which data were analysed for concepts and organised into distinct themes. This produced a theory of change that clearly expressed the short to medium-term and longer term outcomes of orthognathic treatment, and provided an initial framework for the approach. The theory captured several outcomes and showed that the framework can be used effectively to investigate the wider psychosocial changes after orthognathic treatment. It therefore provides a basis on which to develop potential indicators for the assessment and valuation of these outcomes over time. The application of these findings to the selection of patients, engagement, and postoperative care, is briefly discussed.