Le Fort I osteotomy with segmentation for the treatment of maxillary dentoalveolar protrusion: a single-centre,...

A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the stability and complications of Le Fort I osteotomy with segmentation for the treatment of bimaxillary dentoalveolar protrusion. A total of 120 consecutive patients who had undergone orthognathic surgery between 2008 and 2017 at a single centre were recruited. Lateral cephalometric radiographs were taken before surgery, within 6 weeks after surgery, and at 2 years after surgery. U1-SN and U1-PP underwent mean uprighting of 8.7° and 9.6°, respectively, and mean relapse of 2.1° and 2.6°, respectively (both P <  0.05). The only significant risk factor for relapse was the use of intermaxillary fixation (risk ratio (RR) 1.2, P =  0.01). The most common complication was wound dehiscence (41.7%), which was a significant risk factor for wound infection (RR 3.3, P <  0.01) and fixation hardware exposure (RR 3.7, P <  0.01). Other common complications were gingival recession (40.8%), periodontal bone loss (40%), and blood loss requiring transfusion (26.7%), the latter of which was associated with the preoperative diagnosis of vertical maxillary excess (RR 2.4, P =  0.01). Some degree of relapse occurred in more than 90% of the patients by 2 years after surgery. The procedure is not without risks and complications but may be useful in severe cases.