Soft-tissue response rate to chin skeletal advancement in patients with lower facial burn scar

This study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes and the soft-tissue response to osseous genioplasty in patients with chin retrusion caused by early life facial burn injury.

Twenty-two consecutive patients with retrusive chin as a result of severe childhood facial burn were included in this study. Cephalometric analysis and photographs were used to assess the patients for eligibility of a surgical correction. Horizontal hard-tissue advancement and soft-tissue responses were measured as the primary outcomes at the early and late postoperative follow-up visits.

A total of 22 patients fulfilled the study requirements. Average preoperative distance between the pogonion, as the most anterior point of the anterior mandibular contour, and a perpendicular line connecting the nasion and the supramental point of the mandible was 0.82 ± 1.1 mm, which increased significantly to 7.8 ± 0.8 mm after genioplasty (p < 0.0001). Soft tissue was repositioned on average 6.1 ± 0.4 mm anteriorly on average, which is in comparison with the amount of chin skeleton advancement, and a response ratio of 0.8:1 was calculated at late follow-up.

Burn-related retrusive chin can appropriately be treated with sliding osseous genioplasty and will require slight overcorrection compared with patients without a history of lower face burn.

Therapeutic, IV.