Introduction:

Bilateral sagittal split osteotomy is one of the most common surgical procedures performed during orthognathic surgery. Postoperative reports have described neurosensory changes related to the inferior alveolar nerve. Paresthesia has been described in relation to its damage ranging between 12.5 and 100%. The aim of this study was to determine the percentage of sensitive recovery in the compromised area after bilateral sagital split osteotomy during the first postoperative year.

Method:

The study included 32 patients with class II and class III dentofacial deformity. Surgical procedure must include bilateral sagittal split osteotomy. Follow-up was performed at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th postoperative months. The evaluated area was determined by a novel technique that consists in dividing the chin in squares of 8 equal parts. Sensorial recovery was tested using calibrated von Frey monofilaments. Results are displayed in relation to the studied area, gender, skeletal class and surgical technique. Statistical significance was accepted with a P < .05.

Results:

In this study, the inferior alveolar nerve reached 74% recovery rate after the first postoperative year. The average sensitivity recovery, over the chin region, in the eight-grid zone was 65%.

Conclusion:

Studied subjects reached a sensitivity recuperation that could be classified as mild hypoesthesia after the first year since surgery. The female population reached higher recovery values (83 vs. 69%) than the male population. They also seem to recover in less time than males. Importantly, we have observed that the use of these 3 methods of evaluation allow us to compare the objective and subjective characteristics of the population with similar results.

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