The effect of orthognathic surgery on the lip lines while smiling in skeletal class III patients with facial asymmetry

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between improvements in lip asymmetry at rest and while smiling after orthognathic surgery in patients with skeletal class III malocclusion. METHODS: This study included 21 patients with skeletal class III malocclusion and facial asymmetry. We used preoperative and postoperative CT data and photographs to measure the vertical distance of the lips when smiling. The photographs were calibrated based on these distances and the CT image. We compared preoperative and postoperative results with the t test and correlations between measurements at rest and when smiling by regression analyses. RESULTS: There were significant correlations between the postoperative changes in canting of the mouth corners at rest, canting of the canines, canting of the first molars, the slope of the line connecting the canines, and the slope of the line connecting first molars. The magnitude of the postoperative lip line improvement while smiling was not significantly correlated with changes in the canting and slopes of the canines, molars, and lip lines at rest. CONCLUSIONS: It remains difficult to predict lip line changes while smiling compared with at rest after orthognathic surgery in patients with mandibular prognathism, accompanied by facial asymmetry.