Effect of Orthognathic Surgery on Temporomandibular Disorders: A Prospective Study

Purpose The relationship of orthognathic surgery and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) has always been a topic of debate. The results have varied from mild/moderate improvement to actual worsening in some cases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of orthognathic surgery on TMD in patients with dentofacial deformities. Method An observational study was conducted on 56 patients (112 condyles) of patients with dentofacial deformities with age range of 19-35 years who underwent orthognathic surgery. TMD was evaluated using seven types of disorders in diagnostic criteria for TMD (DC/TMD, 2010) pre-operatively and after 6-month follow-up. Results There was minimal decrease in unassisted mouth opening without pain, maximum unassisted mouth opening and maximum assisted mouth opening after surgery. There was significant improvement in joint sounds and headache in 18 patients. Overall, there was improvement in 29 cases (33.93%), worsening in 8 cases (14.29%) and no change in 19 cases (33.93%). Conclusion There was high prevalence of TMDs in dentofacial deformity patients. Most of the patients with pre-operative TMD improved with orthognathic surgery, whereas a small percentage of patients who were asymptomatic pre-operatively developed TMD after surgery and in some patients TMD worsened. The risk of developing TMD and worsening of severity conditions is low.