Background: Many Oriental people have a square face with a prominent mandibular angle. This article presents a good osteotomy method for the prominent mandibular angle (PMA).
Methods: Two modifications of the conventional procedures have been made. The first is a one-stage curved osteotomy for the mandibular angle. The second is nonresection of the masseter muscle. The surgical procedure has been performed using an intraoral approach with a direct field of vision.
Results: From October 1996 to December 2002, a total of 407 patients with PMA underwent surgery using this method with satisfactory results. The PMA osteotomy procedure was performed for only 248 patients. In addition, 29 patients received concurrent zygomatic reduction osteotomy, 38 patients underwent concurrent genioplasty, 41 patients had concurrent chin augmentation with excised PMA bone fragment, 2 patients received concurrent submental liposuction, and 39 patients underwent concurrent buccal fat pad resection.
Conclusion: The described method is a very simple procedure with fewer complications for the surgical treatment of PMA.