Main

Luther F, Morris DO et al. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2003; 41: 401–406

Orthodontic patients need a realistic estimate of the timespan of their treatment. This study examined records of 65 patients who had undergone orthognathic surgery after preparatory orthodontic treatment, over a 5 year period. Mean age at start of treatment was 23 yrs (range 13-50), and 3/4 were female.

Median duration of orthodontic treatment was 17 months (7-47). There was no effect of the type of malocclusion, extraction of teeth, gender or age. The factor which showed greatest variation was the 4 different orthodontists, but the variation was not shown to be statistically significant. In a Norwegian study, similar figures were reported, and the authors of the present study suggest that patients should be advised that pre-operative orthodontics may take 12-24 months.