A. Rosenberg et Hf. Sailer, A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY ON CHANGES IN THE SENSIBILITY OF THE ORAL-MUCOSA AND THE MUCOSA OF THE UPPER LIP AFTER LE-FORT-I OSTEOTOMY, Journal of cranio-maxillo-facial surgery, 22(5), 1994, pp. 286-293
A prospective study on 21 patients was performed in order to investiga
te the changes in the sensibility of the oral mucosa and the mucosa of
the upper lip after a Le Fort I osteotomy. Patients were followed-up
1 month, 3 months and 6 months postoperatively. The sensibility of the
mucosa was tested using electrical sensimetry (Laitinen, 1987). The t
eeth were tested with carbon dioxide snow (Obwegeser and Steinhauser,
1963). A picture of the marked hypoaesthetic area was performed and ma
gnified 1:1 if a hypoaesthesia of the cutaneous distribution of the in
fraorbital nerve was found. The area was measured using a Macintosh II
CX computer. It was demonstrated, that after 3 months the infraorbita
l nerve regained its function completely. The greater palatine nerve a
nd the posterior superior alveolar nerve demonstrated an incomplete re
covery of sensory function after 6 months. After 6 months 92.8% of the
teeth reacted to carbon dioxide snow. Within the first 6 months posto
peratively, no pulpe necrosis was observed. No correlation could be fo
und between the amount of anterior maxillary movement and the degree o
f hypoaesthesia of the infraorbital nerve. Dentate Le Fort I osteotomi
es showed a better sensory regeneration of the greater palatine nerve
than edentulous Le Fort I osteotomies. After Le Fort I osteotomies in
2 parts, more hypoaesthesia of the greater palatine nerve was observed
than after Le Fort I osteotomies in 1 part. After miniplate osteosynt
hesis, more hypoaesthesia of the posterior superior alveolar nerve was
observed than after wire osteosynthesis. The results are discussed an
d compared with the results found in the literature. Suggestions to de
crease the postoperative hypoaesthesia of the nerves supplying the muc
osa have been made.