Condylar repositioning in bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy with centric relation bite

Changes in the condylar position after bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSO) can cause many complications, such as condylar dysfunction and increased risk of relapse. This study evaluated a simple approach for condylar repositioning in BSSO as a method to rapidly obtain the patient's centric relation (CR) bite position without prefabricated equipment. The study subjects included 9 patients (5 men and 4 women; mean age, 23.7 years) who underwent BSSO in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Hallym University hospital between December 2009 and March 2012. We performed BSSO with the condylar-repositioning method according to the patient's CR bite. Measurements of changes in the condylar position via radiographic images (lateral cephalometric radiographs) did not indicate significant differences after surgery (P < 0.05). In surveys of temporomandibular joint symptoms, the scores for categories (sound, pain, mouth opening limitation) also did not show any increases after surgery. Within a standard operating time, the condyle was effectively repositioned using the condylar-repositioning method described in this study. These results indicate this new repositioning method is simple and eliminates the need for any additional device.