The Effects of Maxillary Movements on Nasal Aesthetics Following Orthognathic Surgery

Improvement of the harmony between facial subunits is the ultimate goal of orthognathic surgery and surgeons must accurately make soft tissue projections for planned bony movements. Yet, few studies have examined the effects' of orthognathic surgery on aesthetic parameters of nasolabial area on a thorough basis. This retrospective study included 61 patients that underwent orthognathic surgery. Demographic data, evaluation period, and surgical details were analyzed. Superficial topographical analysis of intercanthal distance, alar width, nasal height, nasal length, nasal tip protrusion, upper lip height, nasal bone angle, supratip break angle, nasal dorsum angle, nasal tip angle, columellar-lobular angle, columellar-labial angle, upper lip angle, and tip-to-midline angle was recorded before and after surgery. Postoperative changes in these parameters and their correlation to maxillary movements were analyzed. Alar width, upper lip height, columellar-labial angle, supratip break angle, nasal dorsum angle, and upper lip angle increased postsurgery, whereas tip-to-midline angle decreased. Upper lip height and columellar-labial angle were significantly correlated with clockwise/counter-clockwise rotation and anterior re-positioning. Columellar-labial angle increased 2 degrees for each 1 mm of anterior movement and decreased 4 degrees for each 1 mm of counter-clockwise rotation. Novel parameters, such as columellar-lobular angle and tip-to-midline angle, were not associated with any maxillary movement postsurgery. Orthognathic surgery primarily affected the lower third of the nose and changed alar width, upper lip height, supratip break angle, nasal dorsum angle, columellar-labial angle, upper lip angle, and tip-to-midline angle in this region; however, only columellar-labial angle and upper lip height were found to be correlated solely with maxillary movements.