Long-term stability of adolescent versus adult surgery for treatment of mandibular deficiency

In mandibular deficient patients, mandibular growth is not expected after the adolescent growth spurt, so mandibular advancement surgery is often carried out at 13 years. To test if the long-term stability for younger patients is similar to that for adult patients, the authors compared cephalometric changes from 1-year postsurgery (when changes due to the surgery should be completed) to 5-year follow up. 32 patients who had early mandibular advancement with or without simultaneous maxillary surgery (aged up to 16 for girls and 18 for boys), and 52 patients with similar surgery at older ages were studied. Beyond 1-year postsurgery, the younger patients showed significantly greater change in the horizontal and vertical position of points B and pogonion, the horizontal (but not vertical) position of gonion, and mandibular plane angle. 50% of younger patients had 2–4mm backward movement of Pg and another 25% had >4mm. 15% of older patients had 2–4mm change and none had >4mm. Long-term changes in younger patients who had two-jaw surgery were greater than for mandibular advancement only. Changes in younger groups were greater than for adult groups. Satisfaction with treatment and perception of problems were similar for both groups.