Sensory retraining after orthognathic surgery: Effect on patient report of altered sensations

Introduction The purpose of this analysis was to determine whether, over a 2-year period after bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, patients who received facial sensory-retraining exercises with standard opening exercises in the first 6 months after surgery were as likely to report an alteration in facial sensation as those who received standard opening exercises only. Methods 186 subjects were enrolled in a multi-center, double-blind, stratified-block, randomized clinical trial with 2 parallel groups. Patient reports of altered sensations were obtained before surgery, and 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. A marginal model was fit to examine the effect of sensory retraining while controlling for potential explanatory effects related to demographic, psychological, and clinical factors on the odds of postoperative altered sensations being reported. Results Age ( P