Does mandibular advancement ortho-surgical procedure cause condyle changes? A case-series analysis.

Introduction: Mandibular advancement surgery corrects bone bases while establishing patients' functional and aesthetic rehabilitation. However, little is known about the results of this procedure in the structures that make up the stomatognathic system, as the condyles.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the structural and positional changes of mandibular condyles in ortho-surgical patients who underwent mandibular advancement surgery.

Material and methods: A prospective investigation was conducted with cone-beam computed tomography images. Using Dolphin Imaging® software, seven ortho-surgical patients with Angle Class II malocclusion and mandibular deficiency were evaluated. The images assessed were obtained at pre-surgical phase and after, at least, 1 year of the procedure. To study the structural and positional changes of condyles, linear and angular measurements were obtained, and the right and left sides of patients were compared. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed and, in order to verify possible significant differences, normality tests (Kolmogorov-Smirnov) were applied, followed by a paired t-test to define significance.

Results: For all measures evaluated in this study, no statistically significant differences were found.

Conclusion: The ortho-surgical procedure performed did not change the structure and position of the condyles of patients who underwent surgical mandibular advancement. Right and left mandibular condyles behaved similarly, suggesting stability and condylar adaptation after surgery.