Abstract
Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the facial harmony of patients after orthognathic surgery by several target groups of evaluators who are experts in the field of dentistry. Another goal was to determine the morphological features of patients' faces after orthognathic surgery, which the evaluators consider problematic.
Method: We created an online questionnaire containing composite photos created from 4 photos of 30 people created after treatment: 15patients (9 men, 6 women, mean age 29.7 years) who underwent a combination of orthodontic and surgical treatment (group A) and 15 patients (6 men, 9 women, mean age 26.7 years) who underwent only orthodontic treatment (group B). Facial morphological features and harmony were assessed on a 10-point scale and assessed by a group of 89 evaluators, who were divided by gender, age, and education.
Differences between groups of evaluators were statistically evaluated. Results: Of all the judges, it seemed to be the most critical group of orthodontists, however, the differences between the individual groups were not women were more critical than men (p = 0.009), the most critical of all age groups was the group of the oldest evaluators (above 61 years) (p = 0.021).
Patients after maxillofacial surgery were evaluated as significantly less harmonious, 0.29 points less than the average score (p = 0.001). Facial asymmetry (r = -0.524, p = 0.045) proved to be a significant predictor of lower facial harmony scores in patients who did not undergo surgery, facial asymmetry (r = - 0.672, p = 0.06) and concave profile (r = - 0.619, p = 0.014).
Conclusion: Patients after orthognathic surgery appear to be less harmonious compared to those who have not undergone surgery. Residual facial asymmetry appears to be a significant factor in facial aesthetics that reduces the overall rating of facial harmony.