Soft tissue changes after superior repositioning of the maxilla with Le Fort I osteotomy: 5-year follow-up

Long-term changes in soft tissue landmark positions were examined in 49 patients following superior repositioning of the maxilla by Le Fort I osteotomy. From presurgery to 1 year, on average the upper lip moved up one third the distance that the upper incisor and point A did, but there was considerable variability. In 25% of the patients the upper lip moved up more than 2 mm, and in 6% it moved up more than 4 mm. As the mandible rotated upward and forward in response to the maxillary movement, soft tissue movements paralleled the adjacent hard tissue movements almost exactly in the absence of genioplasty. From 1 to 5 years postsurgery, in 25% of the patients the maxilla moved downward more than 2 mm, and the mandible rotated down and back, often without relapse of occlusal relationships. In both jaws, long-term changes in soft tissue landmarks exceeded hard tissue changes, meaning soft tissue points tended to move downward even if hard tissue points were stable and moved down more than the corresponding hard tissue points when skeletal changes occurred.