Studying Muscular Function Recovery of Skeletal Class III Patients with Orofacial Myofunctional Exercise: A...

To investigate the impact of orofacial muscle functional exercises on the recovery of facial muscle function in patients with skeletal class III malocclusion following orthognathic surgery.

A total of 32 patients with skeletal class III malocclusion who underwent LeFort I and sagittal split ramus osteotomy were recruited and randomly divided into an orofacial myofunctional exercise (OME) and a control group (the registration certificate number is ChiCTR2100044639). The OME group received muscle function training after surgery, while the control group relied on natural recovery. Electromyography (EMG) was used to evaluate the functional changes of the masticatory muscles and perioral facial muscles in both groups.

In the OME group, patient willingness to perform orofacial muscle exercises increased from 70% at 2 days to 98% at 30 days post-surgery. The EMG value of masseter muscles in the OME group increased by 27% at 30 days and by 17% at 90 days; the EMG value of temporalis muscles in the OME group increased by 39% at 30 days and by 25% at 90 days. At 180 days, the EMG values showed no statistical difference between the 2 groups. The EMG value of orbicularis oris muscles during smiling was increased by 35% at 15 days and by 16% at 30 days. The EMG value of orbicularis oris muscles in the swollen state was increased by 40% at 15 days, by 28% at 30 days, and by 22% at 90 days. The EMG values of the mentalis muscle were increased by 29% during smiling and by 31% during cheek-puffing at 30 days.

OME promoted the orofacial myofunctional recovery stages after orthognathic surgery.