Sagittal and Vertical Skeletal Relapse in Orthodontic Cases Associated with Bimaxillary Surgery

The main purpose of the study is to assess the position of the two maxillary bones, recorded at five-time intervals, consistent for all patients in the sample, in the context of a combined orthodontic-surgical treatment. This allows us to examine the possible presence of skeletal relapse, both sagittally and vertically, in the short and long term following orthognathic surgery. The analyzed sample consists of 15 patients. The lateral cephalometric X-rays were performed at five distinct moments during their therapeutic journey. The patient sample for analysis was initially selected randomly and further narrowed down based on inclusion/exclusion criteria designed to ensure the greatest uniformity and scientific rigor possible in the obtained results. The orthodontic treatment did not bring statistically significant changes in the vertical and sagittal positions of the two maxillary bones. It did not reveal any significant influence regarding the invasiveness of surgery concerning skeletal relapse, both in the sagittal and vertical dimensions. The relapse occurred in a statistically significant manner, exclusively during the first year following surgery. We can conclude that a surgically guided positioning of bone fragments, respecting the ideal cephalometric values, does not influence relapse for the parameters we considered. Combined orthodontic-surgical treatments are an elective approach for addressing severe dento-skeletal disharmonies, exhibit a high level of stability with minimal relapses in both number and size in the immediate postoperative period, and excellent long-term stability with relapses deemed not statistically significant, neither in size and number.