Evaluation of Quality of Life in Orthognathic Surgery Patients with Class II and Class III Malocclusions

Objective: Orthognathic surgery is a treatment that combines orthodontic and surgical approaches to correct skeletal discrepancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Quality of Life (QoL) of patients with Class II and Class III skeletal malocclusions who underwent orthognathic surgery using the Orthognathic QoL Questionnaire (OQLQ), and to determine the impact of the preoperative malocclusion type on patient satisfaction. Material and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional observational study included patients with Class II and Class III dentofacial deformities who underwent orthognathic surgery at Bezmialem Vakıf University Faculty of Dentistry between 2022-2023, with at least 6 months of follow-up after surgery. These patients completed the Turkish version of the OQLQ online. The relationship between the scores and the type of deformity was statistically evaluated. Results: A total of 69 patients (41 female, 28 male) were included in the study, with a mean age of 24.8±5.17 years. The mean OQLQ score for all patients was 13.6±15.3 (15.00±12.90 for Class II patients and 12.76±16.88 for Class III patients). No significant difference was observed in the mean scores between Class II and Class III patients, except for questions 4-12, where significant differences were noted (p=0.032, p=0.03). Conclusion: The results indicate that Class III patients were generally more satisfied after surgery, which was reflected in their lower scores. In contrast, Class II patients had more difficulty adapting to the new occlusion and experienced greater challenges with eating.