Mandibular advancement: skeletal and dental changes during fixation.

Skeletal and dental changes that occurred during maxillomandibular fixation after surgical advancement of the mandible were examined in 21 patients. Serial cephalometric monitoring showed skeletal relapse with compensatory dental changes in every case; the pattern of relapse varied. Common hypotheses currently expressed and applied by clinicians for presurgical prediction of such treatment results were objectively assessed for validity on the basis of the patient sample studied. The findings indicate that single variables cannot be isolated as being solely responsible for specific postsurgical changes.