Reverse genioplasty.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the possibility of correcting the appearance of a protruded or retruded chin through relocation of the anterior alveolar segment. Five patients with a protruded chin (group I) were treated by anterior repositioning of the alveolar segment, while five patients with a retruded chin (group II) were treated through posterior repositioning of the mandible. In the patients in group I, the convexity of the chin became less pronounced and the most anterior point of the soft tissue chin curvature (pogonion) moved superiorly. In the patients in group II, the convexity of the chin become more pronounced. The position of soft tissue pogonion was unchanged. The ratio of the segment-lip movement in both groups was close 1:1. The method is easy to perform and provides predictable results. For patients with a protruded chin, in whom reduction genioplasty often offers a poor result, the procedure described could be a method of choice.