It is often thought that patients seek combined orthodontic and surgic
al treatment for predominantly aesthetic reasons, with functional conc
erns being secondary. To find out whether patients were more satisfied
with appearance than function after treatment, all 165 patients who h
ad orthognathic operations during the Ii-year period 1983-94 were sent
a questionnaire; 139 responded (84%). Rating on a visual analogue sca
le showed a high level of satisfaction for both appearance (mean score
6.78) and function (mean score 7.24) (Wilcoxon test, P = 0.046). This
indicates that orthognathic surgery is not merely done for aesthetic
reasons, but is important when combined with orthodontic treatment in
correcting severe malocclusions, which appreciably improve the ability
to chew.