Asymmetry of the lips of orthognathic surgery patients

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine asymmetry of the lips in patients with jaw deformity and facial asymmetry. Methods: Pretreatment and posttreatment frontal facial photographs of 17 patients who had mandibular prognathism with facial asymmetry were analyzed. Linear and angular measurements were made on the photographs to assess the asymmetry of the lips. The upper and lower vermilion borders of the lips were divided into quadrants according to the y-axis, and each was measured. In addition, skeletal deviation (position of menton) was determined from the frontal cephalograms. Results: The pretreatment linear and angular measurements showed asymmetry of the lips, but this significantly improved after treatment, and the lip form was almost symmetrical. The areas of vermilion border in the upper and lower lips became almost even during treatment. The ratio of the areas on the 2 sides was nearly 1.00. There was little correlation between the horizontal skeletal changes of menton and lip form. Conclusions: Asymmetry of the lips caused by deviation of the mandible can be almost completely corrected by orthognathic treatment. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2009;136:559-63)