Profile changes following anterior subapical osteotomy in Chinese adults with bimaxillary protrusion.

Nineteen adult Chinese patients, aged 18 to 28 years, who sought treatment for bimaxillary protrusion were treated with combined maxillary and mandibular anterior subapical osteotomy and the extraction of one premolar in each quadrant. Intraoral cephalograms were taken pretreatment and an average of 19.8 months posttreatment. Significant cephalometric soft tissue changes (P less than .01) included increase at the nasolabial angle, reduction of both the upper and lower lip protrusions, lengthening of the upper lip, and decrease in the interlabial gap. The predictable success and the fact that these improvements in facial profile usually can be achieved in as little as 3 to 9 months make this mode of addressing bimaxillary protrusion a viable alternative to orthodontic treatment of adult patients with bimaxillary protrusion.