Soft and hard tissue changes following mandibular setback surgery in skeletal class iii patients

Skeletal class III patients are often treated with surgical and orthodontic treatment to balance the facial profile and improve facial aesthetics. According to previous studies, the primary motivation of patients for orthodontic treatment along with jaw surgery has been to improve their aesthetic condition. Therefore, improving the patient’s profile is one of the important goals of surgical treatments. Here, 16 skeletal class III patients were orthodontically and surgically treated. In addition, lateral radiograms performed at the beginning and end of treatment were compared to get information regarding soft tissue modification. According to the results of this study and its comparison with the literature, changes in the soft tissue are related to the amount of mandibular setback: The higher the setback, the greater changes occur in the profile. This fact has a significant impact on aesthetics and patients’ expectation.