Motivating factors for patients undergoing orthognathic surgery evaluation

Orthognathic surgery is generally performed to correct facial abnormalities related to the maxilla and/or mandible, and there are a variety of reasons for which patients choose to be evaluated for this procedure. We surveyed 637 cases to determine the patients' motivating factors for seeking surgical consultation.

We reviewed 637 cases from 1990 to 2006 in this study, and data were extracted from 501 appropriately completed surveys to determine why patients seek corrective maxillofacial surgery. Patients aged under 12 years and those with an identified syndrome were not included in the final data set.

The results indicate that patients with dentofacial deformities have multiple complaints related to their poor maxillomandibular relationships. However, their primary motivation for undergoing surgical evaluation is not appearance; it is their bite/function. Of the 501 patients reviewed in this study, 216 (43%) were male and 285 (57%) were female. Age ranged from 12 to 45 years. Of the patients, 76% stated that their appearance was affected by their condition, but only 15% stated it was their primary motivation for undergoing surgical evaluation. Thirty-six percent stated that their bite was their primary motivation for seeking treatment.

The most common reason for surgical evaluation was correction of bite or functional disability, not improvement of appearance. Most previously published studies on this subject included smaller sample sizes and showed appearance to be the primary motivating factor.