Toshihiko TAKENOBU, DDS, Ph.D., Dr.Med.
Professor and ChairSecond Department of Oral and Maxillofacial SurgeryOsaka Dental University, School of Dentistry, OsakaJAPAN🇯🇵
The COVID-19 pandemic has made people wear masks. As a result, the number of patients undergoing orthodontic treatment has increased. At the same time, the demand for Orthognathic surgery (OGS) is increasing more than ever.
Japan is the only country in the world where OGS treatment is covered by National Health Insurance. It is natural to cure malocclusion in OGS. Skeletal malocclusion can only be cured by surgery. Therefore, in Japan, skeletal malocclusion is treated as a disease and its treatment is covered by the National Health Insurance.
OGS in Japan is mostly performed at public hospitals or university hospitals, not private clinics. So, if occlusion is improved, is it okay to leave the aesthetics of the face alone? Unfortunately, in public hospitals and university hospitals in Japan, there is a tendency not to consider aesthetic treatments. Furthermore, Japanese oral surgeons tend not to say that I pursue aesthetics.
Even with OGS, there must be some way to pursue aesthetics during surgery. In my lecture this time, I would like to present mandibular contouring, mandibular angle reduction, mental narrowing, asymmetry improvement, and soft tissue touch-up surgery.
By devising a technique in OGS treatment, it should be possible to give further patient satisfaction and happiness.
We oral surgeons don't need to worry about plastic or cosmetic surgeons.
We are in an era of “paradigm shift” from occlusion only to facial esthetics in OGS treatment.
