Short lingual osteotomy without fixation: a new strategy for mandibular osteotomy known as "physiological positioning".

We describe the strategy of physiological positioning, which we regard as a new alternative treatment to conventional orthognathic operations, and treated 18 patients with skeletal mandibular prognathism using it. The positions of SNB, FMA, and Me were measured postoperatively to assess skeletal stability, changes in the angle and perpendicular length of the upper and lower central incisors were measured to assess dental stability, and we confirmed that both skeletal and dental stability were excellent. The width to which the jaw could be opened recovered early, and we saw only one case of disorder of the temporomandibular joint. Short lingual osteotomy with physiological positioning is an effective new approach to the treatment of deformities of the mandible.