The stability of facial osteotomies .5. Maxillary advancement with miniplate and screw fixation

Surgical repositioning of the dento-skeletal components of the middle-third of the face, combined with appropriate orthodontic treatment, can be used to improve function and aesthetics. However, the attainment of three-dimensional stability following corrective jaw surgery continues to be a major problem in the postsurgical period. This paper examines the short-term (six weeks postoperative) and long-term (12 months postoperative) horizontal skeletal stability of Le Fort maxillary advancement in 15 patients. The mean horizontal advancement of the maxilla was 8.76+/-0.99 mm. Six weeks later, a mean relapse of 0.22+/-0.19 mm was identified. The mean relapse at long-term follow-up was 0.61+/-0.26 mm (6.96%). These results indicate that rigid miniplate and screw fixation of Le Fort I osteotomy undertaken to correct horizontal mid-dentofacial deficiency is both statistically and surgically predictable and stable when reviewed up to twelve months after surgery.