What are the latest trends in orthognatic surgery and what tools are available today to optimise that outcome?
To achieve optimal outcome, the first step is correct diagnosis of the deformity, followed by proper planning and surgery. Traditionally, the surgeon relies on 2-D imaging such as the OPG and lateral cephalogram but today, 3-D diagnosis is available with the introduction of cone-beam CT and 3-D cephalometric analysis. However, this is still in the developmental phase in major orthognathic centres and not widely available. The surgical armamentarium of the surgeon has been refined with specific instruments just for a particular technique. The caveat is still in the surgeon carrying out the procedure accurately by proper laboratory preparation. What are the risk factors associated with such treatment? The risks factors associated with orthognathic surgery have been reduced greatly with refinement of surgical techniques and instrumentations. However, the main concerns are still injuries to the IDN nerve and anaesthetic complications. Another is not fully meeting the patient’s unrealistic
