[Evaluation of the posture of patients before and after orthodontic surgery]

The term "craniomandibular disorder" is used to describe a series of symptoms and signs that directly affect the stomatognathic apparatus with possible repercussions on the otovestibular and oculomotor apparatus and on the cervical spine that may condition the entire body posture. The aim of this study was to evaluate a series of parameters correlated to the occlusal situation and to verify how these factors are affected by a change following the correction of occulusal ratios.

The paper reports a series of 15 patients suffering from facial dysmorphia treated surgically in the Division of Maxillofacial Surgery of S. Giovanni Battista Hospital in Turin in which an evaluation was made of posture and symptoms linked to craniomandibular disorders before surgery and six months after. At the preoperative evaluation a high incidence of this type of symptoms and signs was observed, and in particular a high percentage of patients with postural imbalance and asymmetry of the frontal body segments.

From the results obtained it emerges that the surgical re-adaptation of occlusion is followed by esthetic improvement and also by a good recovery of frontal postural symmetry in conformity with the reduced frequency and intensity of symptoms classified as craniomandibular disorders.