Does the type of planning in orthognathic surgery influence patient satisfaction?

To determine if the method of orthognathic surgery planning used-computer aided surgical simulation (CASS) versus analog model surgery-influenced patients' post-operative satisfaction. The authors hypothesized that there was no difference in patient satisfaction based on the type of planning in orthognathic surgery.

This was a single-site, observational, retrospective cohort study consisting of a standardized survey aimed to be given to all patients who had orthognathic surgery at the authors' institution over a 6-year period. Patients were asked to complete a survey questionnaire that consisted of eight questions, each utilizing a five-point Likert scale.

There were 643 patients initially identified with 401 potential subjects meeting the inclusion criteria. Of these 401 patients, the survey was successfully administered to 161. Patients whose orthognathic surgery was planned virtually were not only significantly more likely to be satisfied with their appearance post-operatively, but also more likely to go through with surgery again if they could choose to (p < 0.05). CASS patients were also more likely to identify that their surgery was planned virtually. When stratified by age, younger patients were more likely to have read about CASS. When each survey question was stratified based on the type of surgery that was performed, there were no significant differences.

Patients whose surgeries were virtually planes were significantly more likely than model surgery patients to be satisfied with their post-operative appearance as well as with their decision to have orthognathic surgery. CASS has proven to be an accurate, time-saving, and potentially cost-saving tool for surgeons. Based on the results of this study, the type of surgical planning method matters for post-operative patient satisfaction with their appearance.