Mandibular stability after sagittal split ramus osteotomy without post-operative maxillomandibular fixation in the treatment of prognathic patients with symmetric mandibles.

This study was designed to examine post-operative stability in prognathic patients with symmetric lower jaws who underwent sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO) of the mandible without post-operative maxillomandibular fixation (MMF). Twenty prognathic patients with symmetric mandibles were investigated. An appliance for repositioning the proximal segment and titanium screw fixation was applied in all patients. Ten patients underwent post-operative MMF with stainless steel wire (mean duration, 9.6 days) and intermaxillary rubber traction after removal of the MMF (Group I), and the remaining ten underwent intermaxillary rubber traction only (Group II) post-operatively. Cephalograms were obtained 2-3 days post-operatively, and 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Changes in the positions of upper incisors (U-1), lower incisors (L-1), B-point, and pogonion were examined on lateral cephalograms. In the early stages of follow-up, decreases in the overbite tended to be more marked in Group I than in Group II, and the forward movement of each standard point was significantly larger in Group I than in Group II. No significant differences, however, were revealed between the two groups at 12 months after surgery. Forward movement of anterior cephalometric landmarks, post-operatively, in Group II were significant, however, this pattern differed from Group I, in which big changes occurred in the early stages after surgery. Although the patterns of post-operative changes in the two groups are different, there are no significant differences in their post-operative stability in long-term follow-up. Therefore, post-operative MMF may be avoided when prognathic patients with symmetric mandibles undergo SSRO with an appliance for repositioning the proximal segment and titanium screw fixation.