Lip sensory disturbance in osteotomy patients
Reviewed by Stuart Clark

Neurosensory disturbance resulting from inferior alveolar nerve injury during a sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) is a well-recognised complication. This paper from Türkiye looked at 20 patients with neurosensory disturbance >12 months after a bimaxillary osteotomy including a BSSO surgery and 20 controls. They demonstrated significant improvement in patient quality of life following surgery despite the presence of persistent disturbance in the mental and vermillion areas. They found that the addition of a genioplasty was associated with more pronounced sensory disturbance regardless of the direction of mandibular movement. The age range was similar in both studies and control groups so that the well-recognised factor of age was excluded from this analysis (older patients being more likely to have sensory disturbance and possibly less able to adapt). Overall, they were able to conclude that whilst neurosensory disturbances persist following orthognathic surgery, they exert minimal influence on the patients’ perceived quality of life.

Long term effects of inferior alveolar nerve injury on the quality of life of orthognathic patients – a clinical assessment.
Gerçek AO, Topaloğlu Yasan G, Tüz HH.
INT J ORAL MAXILLOFAC SURG
2026:1–8 [ePub ahead of print].