Morphological evaluations in skeletal Class III malocclusion requiring maxillofacial surgery using orthognathic...

The purpose of this study was to establish a Japanese standard norm for orthognathic surgical analysis to be used in clinical applications and to clarify maxillofacial morphological characteristics in skeletal Class III malocclusions requiring orthognathic surgery. The materials were pretreatment lateral cephalometric radiographs in the relaxed lip posture from 50 subjects with skeletal Class III malocclusions diagnosed as requiring orthognathic surgery. The control group consisted of 50 subjects with normal occlusion and well-balanced faces. Detailed cephalometric measurements were recorded and analyzed statistically. The skeletal, dental, and soft tissue measurements from the normal group did not reveal any marked differences between the sexes. The Class III group exhibited a more retrognathic maxilla and prognathic mandible, a steeper mandibular plane, a more prominent chin, and a larger lower facial height in the skeletal measurements; a significant lingual inclination of the mandibular incisor in the dental measurement; and a more concave profile with prognathic mandible, a larger lower facial height, a more acute nasolabial angle and chin in the soft tissue measurements. We suggest that this analysis can be clinically useful in diagnosis, treatment planning, and posttreatment evaluation for orthognathic surgical cases who are Class III patients.