2014 Volume 24 Issue 1 Pages 46-52
Introduction: Titanium osteosynthesis plates are widely used for fixing bone fragments in orthognathic surgery. However, there have been few reports on the need or appropriate timing for removing these plates. Therefore, we performed a clinical study on cases in which titanium plates were used in orthognathic surgery at our department for 5 years since 2006.
Subjects and Methods: The subjects were 107 patients who underwent orthognathic surgery performed using titanium osteosynthesis plates from January 2006 to December 2010. The number of male and female subjects, number of subjects in each age group, period of use of the plate, duration of surgery and hemorrhage volume upon removing the plate, number of complications that developed after removal, and number of subjects with a complication based on the period of use of the plate were investigated.
Results: Among the 107 subjects, 91 underwent removal of the osteosynthesis plate and 16 did not undergo this surgery. The male/female ratios of the subjects who did and did not undergo removal were 1:1.39 and 1.67:1, respectively. The average age at removal of the plate was 23.8 years old and the number of subjects in their 20's was 61, the largest among all age groups. The subjects who did not undergo plate removal after orthognathic surgery had an average age of 25.8 years old and 12 of these subjects were in their 20's, also the largest among the age groups. The most common period of use of the plate before removal was 12 months (41/91 subjects). There were no significant differences in the duration of surgery and hemorrhage volume based on the period of use of the plate in subjects with single use of SSRO, concomitant use of SSRO and LF-I, single use of osteotomy for supramaxillary anterior alveolar bone, and single use of mentoplasty. Nine subjects developed a complication after removal of the plate and the rate of complications showed a significant dependence on the period of use of the plate.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that a titanium osteosynthesis plate should be removed about 12 months after orthognathic surgery. There is a risk of complications such as paresis if the plate is used for a longer period.
