Traditional bilateral sagittal split osteotomy versus short variant on the sensory recovery of the chin and lower lip

Objective: This prospective non-randomized study aimed to clinically assess the cutaneous sensitivity in six points on the chin and two on the lower lip in patients undergoing orthognathic surgery. Bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) was performed using two different techniques. Method: The study was conducted in two stages: i) pre-operative sensitivity evaluation of the chin and lower lip, ii) post-operative sensitivity evaluation of the chin and lower lip after one week, one month, two weeks, and six months. The sample comprised 60 patients divided into two groups: traditional BSSO and short BSSO. Sensitivity assessment was conducted using Semmes-Weinstein nylon monofilament in all pre-operative and post-operative periods. Result: The mean age in the traditional BSSO group was 30 years old (range from 17 to 50) and 29.81 years old (range from 15 to 55) for the short BSSO, none of the patients had impaired inferior alveolar nerve function in the evaluated areas. All patients in the short BSSO group had full sensitive recovery under 2 months and traditional BSSO group had full recovery only at the six-month evaluation. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that short BSSO provided faster sensitivity recovery and was a simpler, less traumatic approach.