Changes in quality of life after orthognathic surgery: a comparison based on the involvement of the occlusion

Objectives. The aims of this study were to investigate the impact of dentofacial deformities on quality of life in Chinese patients and to make a comparison between facial deformities that do and do not involve the occlusion. Study design. Consecutive patients with dentofacial deformities requiring surgical correction were divided into 2 groups. Group A represented those who had undergone presurgical orthodontic treatment, and group B represented patients with square faces or prominent zygoma. All subjects were assessed by the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the 22-item Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ-22) during 2 time periods: preoperatively and 6-8 months postoperatively. Results. The SF-36 revealed that there was significant difference in role physical and bodily pain (P < .05) preoperatively between the 2 groups, whereas postoperatively the difference was not significant. Preoperatively, there was significant difference in oral function and facial esthetics components of OQLQ (P < .001), whereas postoperatively only the oral function domain showed significant difference. Conclusions. Orthognathic surgery had a positive impact on patients' quality of life regardless of the type of deformity. OQLQ showed better discerning ability and was able to point out the subtle differences between the 2 groups. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2011;112:719-725)