Meta-analysis of outcomes related to the quality of life after orthodontic-surgical treatment

Abstract

Orthognathic surgery causes functional and aesthetic changes, which could affect patients’ quality of life (QOL). The current analysis assessed the impact of orthodontic-surgical treatment on the parameters affecting the QOL using different scoring systems. The criteria for inclusion were studies written in various languages that compared the effects of the intervention on patients’ QOL before surgery and at various periods after surgery (3 weeks to several months), which resulted in including 19 studies into this meta-analysis. The outcomes of these studies underwent random-effect modeling to calculate the mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of the impact of different surgical techniques on clinical parameters, and publication bias was analyzed with Begg’s test. According to the total score of the Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ), surgery significantly affected patients’ QOL after 2 months or less (p = 0.049), up to 6 months (p < 0.001), and when comparing 2 months or less with up to 6 months (2–6 months) (p < 0.001). In addition, the total Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) score showed a significant difference in the QOL after 6 months (p = 0.003) and up to 12 months (p = 0.002) after surgery. Therefore, orthodontic-surgical treatment significantly improves patients’ QOL after surgery compared to before surgery.