[Psychology and recurrence tendency in relation to age at operation for prognathism]

Within this study patients with mandibular prognathism were studied as to their psychological situation pre- and postoperatively with the help of the Freiburg Personality Evaluation Sheet. Since it was our special interest, whether psychologically it makes a big difference whether the patients were operated during the time of adolescence or after the age of twenty, the postoperative investigation was carried out with special reference to this point. Without any doubt, the correction of prognathism improved the psychological situation of the patients. It was obvious that for those patients in between fourteen and seventeen the improvement was more helpful than for those patients after the age of twenty. On the other hand the rate of recurrence was much higher within the group of those patients operated in between fourteen and seventeen (29.8%) than for those patients which were operated later than at age twenty (8%). The ideal age for the correction of mandibular prognathism must be found individually. While the operation at an early time is more helpful for the psychological situation of the patients, it must on the other hand be seen that for this age-group the danger of recurrence is higher.