TIMING OF FACIAL OSTEOTOMIES - A CONSENSUS CONFERENCE

A concensus conference on the timing of facial osteotomies was held in Jonkoping, Sweden. Seven teams consisting of a maxillofacial surgeon and an orthodontist representing five countries discussed treatment pl anning for young patients with maxillomandibular deformities with spec ial emphasis on timing. Patients with severe syndromic facial deformit ies were not considered. Consensus was reached that for most deformiti es it is best advised to wait until growth has ceased, as determined b y longitudinal cephalometric data. This rule is less tight for Angle C lass II than for Class III cases. For asymmetries often there is still not enough scientific evidence to obtain well-founded uniform agreeme nt.