Assessment of skeletal stability after counterclockwise rotation of the maxillomandibular complex in patients with long-face pattern subjected to orthognathic surgery.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term skeletal stability of counterclockwise maxillomandibular complex rotation in patients undergoing orthognathic surgery for long-face pattern.

Methods: This retrospective study consisted of 10 patients who underwent the procedure between September 2002 and April 2008. To assess the skeletal stability, 30 preoperative (T1), recent postoperative (T2), and late postoperative (T3) cephalometric radiographs of the 10 patients were digitized and traced. To measure the stability in the occlusal plane and mandibular plane, the cephalometric points and planes were determined 3 times.

Results: In the long term, on average, the A-point moved 0.21 mm backward (AYT3-AYT2), the B-point moved 0.57 mm backward (BYT3-BYT2), and the posterior nasal spine moved 0.31 mm backward (PNSYT3-PNSYT2). On average, the anterior maxillary area (A-point) moved 0.14 mm downward (AXT3-AXT2), the mandible (B-point) moved 0.07 mm downward (BXT3-BXT2), and the posterior nasal spine moved approximately 0.18 mm upward (PNSXT3-PNSXT2). The occlusal plane increased by 0.75 degrees (OPT3-OPT2), and the mandibular plane increased by 0.45 degrees (MPT3-MPT2).

Conclusions: It was observed that the counterclockwise rotation of the maxillomandibular complex produces stable results in patients with long-face pattern undergoing orthognathic surgery.