Piezo-osteotomy in orthognathic surgery: A comparative clinical study

BACKGROUND: After the clinical introduction of ultrasound scalpel in recent years, piezosurgery has become competitive with conventional instruments in orthognathic procedures to reduce the operative and postoperative complications reported to occur in association with these surgeries. AIMS: The aim of this prospective clinical study was to compare intraoperative and postoperative outcomes of both piezoelectric device and the traditional bur technique in orthognathic surgery. Intraoperative bleeding time, operative time, postoperative swelling, and neurological impairment were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, a split-mouth technique was applied on ten patients requiring orthognathic surgery. To make the osteotomy cuts, on the one side, piezo-osteotome was used, and on the other side, conventional osteotomy bur was used. RESULTS: Duration of osteotomy was found to be greater with piezo osteotomy compared to bur osteotomy. Mild bleeding was observed with piezosurgery. Postoperative swelling was greater on the side of piezosurgery compared to the bur side. Altered neurosensory activity was found to be equal on the 1(st) day postoperatively, but the piezo side recovered faster compared to the bur side in the 1(st) month after surgery. CONCLUSION: Piezoelectric device offers better advantages over the conventional bur in orthognathic surgery and hence can be considered an alternative to the bur in some orthognathic procedures.