Incidence of Otalgia After Orthognathic Surgery

In orthognathic surgery, it is well known that maxillary osteotomies and displacements sometimes affect auditory function. Thus, this study examined the relationship between the direction of maxillary displacement and postoperative otalgia.

Twenty consecutive patients underwent Le Fort I maxillary osteotomy using advancement, impaction, setback, or a combination of these procedures. The direction of movement and incidence of otalgia were investigated. Patients provided informed consent preoperatively, and postoperative reassurance was prudent.

Pure-tone average evaluation based on horizontal or vertical movements did not show significant differences, although vertical movements resulted in fewer changes in the hearing threshold. Specifically, no significant changes were observed in the hearing thresholds of patients after surgery. No significant difference was also observed between horizontal and vertical movements in the tympanometry results. Negative changes were found in the results of the Eustachian tube dysfunction test in vertical movements, which returned to preoperative values in the final test.

The risk of minor changes in hearing function is probable during the first week after orthognathic surgery; however, these negative changes either completely disappear or remain negligible.