Facial Nerve Palsy Associated With Orthognathic Surgery

The authors report a 25-year-old female who presented facial palsy after undergoing bimaxillary orthognathic surgery for retrognathism correction. Orthognathic surgery is a procedure used to treat dentofacial deformities which aims to achieve an adequate relationship between dental archs, improving function (such as chewing, breathing, and speaking) and facial aesthetics. Even though there are some complications that can occur during the intraoperative and postoperative periods like bleeding, tooth, soft-tissue damage, nerve damage, bad split, infection, and nonunion, facial nerve injuries are considered rare complications after this kind of surgical procedure. Despite being uncommon, rarely described, transient, and spontaneously resolved in almost all patients, facial nerve palsy is one of the most serious complications because it directly affects patient's quality of life and social interaction.