Reduced somatosensory impairment by piezosurgery during orthognathic surgery of the mandible.

PURPOSE

This clinical trial aimed to test the hypothesis that piezosurgery causes reduced nerval irritations and, thus, reduced somatosensory impairment when used in orthognathic surgery of the mandible.

METHODS

To this end, 37 consecutive patients with Angle Class II and III malocclusion were treated using bilateral sagittal split osteotomies (BSSO) of the mandible. In a split mouth design, randomized one side of the mandible was operated using a conventional saw, while a piezosurgery device was used on the contralateral side. In order to test the individual qualities of somatosensory function, quantitative sensory testings (QSTs) were performed 1 month, 6 months and 1 year after surgery.

RESULTS

A comparison of the data using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant reduction in postoperative impairment in warm detection threshold (WDT) (P = 0.046), a decreased dynamic mechanical allodynia (ALL) (P = 0.002) and a decreased vibration detection threshold (VDT) (P = 0.030) on the piezosurgery side of the mandible as opposed to the conventionally operated control side. In the remaining QSTs, minor deviations from the preoperative baseline conditions and a more rapid regression could be observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Piezosurgery caused reduced somatosensory impairment and a faster recovery of somatosensory functions in the present investigation.