Soft tissue changes of bimaxillary protrusion by orthodontics treatment or orthognathic surgery

AIM: To assess the effects of orthodontics treatment or orthognathic surgery on the soft-tissue changes of bimaxillary protrusion patients. METHODS: Fourteen orthodontically-treated cases and 13 surgically-treated cases were chosen. Eleven hard and soft-tissue measurements were analyzed by SPSS statistical software. RESULTS: The soft tissues of the orthodontically-treated group had significant changes (P0.05) in all the measurements except for G-Sn-Pg', S-N'-Pg, Go-Gn-Sn, and G-Pn-Pg'. Ls-PnPg' decreased 2.95 mm on average and Li-PnPg' decreased 3.71 mm on average (P 0.05 ). The soft tissues of the surgically-treated group also had significant changes in all the measurements except for Go-Gn-Sn. CONCLUSION: Both orthodontical treatment and orthognathic surgery can change the soft tissues of bimaxillary protrusion patients. Orthognathic surgery is better than simple orthodontical treatment in improving the shape of soft chin of bimaxillay protrusion.