This study assessed the utility of a quality-of-life diary for the assessment of postoperative recovery following orthognathic surgery. A 20-item daily recovery diary was designed to assess the patients' perception of recovery in 4 domains (postoperative sequelae; pain/discomfort; oral function; daily activities) during each of the first 90 days after surgery. Fifteen of 185 patients who had agreed to participate did not return any portion of the diary. Of the remaining patients, 87% returned the full 90 days requested. Younger patients were more likely to complete the entire protocol (P=0.01). At 30 days, a lower percentage, in general, of patients who completed all 90 days reported recovery in oral function and general activity compared with those who did not complete all diary days. This study confirms that patients will cooperate with the completion of structured medical / health-related quality-of-life diaries during the first few months after orthognathic surgery. Information from such diaries would be valuable to patients deciding on treatment options and to the clinicians counseling them.