Background: The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of possible temporary or permanent disorders of sensation on the degree of the patient's satisfaction following an orthognathic operation.
Patients and methods: After an average of 47 months (range: 9-141), a follow-up examination was performed in 78 women (64.5%) and 43 men (35.5%) with an average age of 24.3 years (range: 19-40) at the time of operation. In 67 cases there had been a sagittal division of the mandible, in 11 cases a Le Fort I osteotomy, in 26 cases a bimaxillary osteotomy, in 4 cases an isolated genioplasty, and in 13 cases a segmental osteotomy in the upper or the lower jaw. In the peripheral area supplied by the nerves V2 and V3 sensation was examined by the two-point discrimination test and the result related to the patients' satisfaction using the chi-square test.
Results and discussion: The following qualities of sensation were recorded: anesthetic (2.7%), hypesthetic (16.6%), paresthetic (8.3%), and normesthetic (72.4%). The patients' satisfaction was rated as very satisfied in 51.3%, as satisfactory in 44.8%, and in 3.9% the patients' expectations had not been fulfilled; 75% regarded their outward appearance as markedly improved and a good 50% of the patients noted improved mastication. Therefore, three-fourths of all the patients would even be willing to be operated on again. Two-dimensional analysis, however, demonstrated only a weakly significant positive relationship between patient satisfaction and the preserved, or restored, sensation in the trigeminal region.