Orthognathic surgeries in orthodontics (LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing)

Orthognathic surgery, also known as corrective jaw surgery or simply jaw surgery, is surgery designed to correct conditions of the jaw and lower face related to structure, growth, airway issues including sleep apnea, TMJ disorders, malocclusion problems primarily arising from skeletal disharmonies, other orthodontic dental bite problems that cannot be easily treated with braces, as well as the broad range of facial imbalances, disharmonies, asymmetries and malproportions where correction can be considered to improve facial aesthetics and self esteem.

Definition Orthognathic surgery may be defined as the surgical repositioning of the maxilla and/or mandible, and/or their segments thereof, with or without orthodontic repositioning of the teeth, in order to improve dentofacial function and aesthetics (in a stable manner) and health-related quality of life.

The term 'orthognathic' is derived from the Greek orthos: correct or straight, and gnathos: jaw. It is estimated that nearly 5% of the UK or US population present with dentofacial deformities that are not amenable to orthodontic treatment requiring orthognathic surgery as a part of their definitive treatment.