Quality of life assessment in patients with dentofacial deformity undergoing orthognathic surgery--a systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the benefits of orthognathic surgery to quality of life, the different motivations and perceptions of patients towards orthognathic surgery, and the various methods that have been used to analyze these changes, in patients who undergo orthognathic surgery for dentofacial deformities. A review of the literature was carried out, and articles published from 2001 to June of 2012 that satisfied the inclusion criteria were included in the review. A total of 21 articles were included. The results indicate that orthognathic patients experience an improvement in quality of life after surgery. Each individual patient has different motivations and expectations from the treatment. Also the use of validated instruments helped in quantifying results. Further research should be aimed at higher levels of evidence in study design, quantifying the changes for different types of dentofacial deformities and surgeries, and have a longer follow-up duration.