Orthognathic surgery improves jaw alignment and quality of life for thousands of patients

Thousands of people struggle with jaw misalignment that affects their bite, speech, and daily comfort. A massive review of data from 6,482 patients offers a clear picture of what happens after orthognathic surgery. This procedure corrects the jaw bones to fix these problems. The analysis looked at how well the surgery worked, how often complications happened, and how patients felt afterward. The results show substantial improvements in quality of life for those who underwent the operation. The study tracked patients for at least one year to see how things held up over time. It found that the jaw position stayed stable in 87.3% of cases. This means the correction did not easily slide back to its original shape. Patients also saw significant changes in their ANB angle, a measurement of jaw alignment. For class III corrections, the angle improved by 6.8 degrees on average. For class II corrections, the improvement was 5.4 degrees. These numbers show the surgery effectively moves the jaw into a better position. Safety was a major part of the review. Complications occurred in 32.4% of cases. Most of these were minor and went away on their own. Numbness or tingling in the lips or chin happened in 52.8% of patients. This is a common side effect of moving the jaw. The good news is that 92.6% of these nerve issues recovered by the 12-month mark. Only 3.4% of patients had permanent nerve changes. About 18.7% of patients experienced a relapse where the jaw shifted more than 2 millimeters. This review confirms that orthognathic surgery is a reliable way to fix jaw deformities. It brings lasting benefits to patients while managing risks that are mostly temporary.