Articulation before and after facial osteotomy.

We examined the articulation in 41 patients before and after facial osteotomies to correct occlusal defects. Both dental occlusion and articulation improved significantly after surgery. Before surgery there was a direct relationship between the degree of prognathia and the severity of the articulation defect; after surgery in the patients with retrognathia there was a direct relationship between the decrease in the occlusion defect. For other types of occlusal defect these relationship were not established.