Is There Any Differences in Dento-Skeletal Stability between One Vs. Three-Screw Fixation of Mandible Following Bilateral Sagittal Split Osteotomy (BSSO)?

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the dento-skeletal stability between one and three-screw fixation of mandible following bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) in skeletal class 3 patients.

Methods: Healthy patients with skeletal class 3 malocclusion in Mashhad, Iran, from August 2020 to May 2021 were undergone mandibular setback through bilateral sagittal split osteotomy. Rigid fixation was performed in one group with one-screw technique, and three-screw fixation was done in another group. Cephalogram x-rays were prepared and analyzed in three stages: before surgery (T0), one week after the surgery (T1), and six months postoperatively (T2). The linear and angular alterations of chosen multivariate skeletal and dental variables were evaluated and statistically compared in all three periods.

Results: This study included a total of 20 patients, 12 of them were female (60%). Patients in the one-screw fixation group had a mean age of 20.6 ± 2.2 years old, whereas those in the three-screw fixation group were 21.5 ± 2.8 years old, with no statistically significant difference. Both groups had excellent mandibular stability six months following surgery. No statistically significant differences were observed in the postoperative skeletal and dental changes between the two techniques.

Conclusion: Fixation of the mandible following the setback surgery by the BSSO technique with the one-screw fixation method may be accomplished effectively, and the therapeutic outcomes are comparable to those obtained with the traditional 3-screw fixation approach.