Soft tissue profile changes after mandibular vestibuloplasty

It is the aim of the present study to examine the pattern of postoperative changes in the soft tissue profile of 50 edentulous patients after 3 common types of mandibular vestibuloplasty, the Edlan flap operation (n = 15), the buccal mucosal graft (n= 19), and the skin graft vestibuloptasty (n= 16). The soft tissue profile changes were recorded on lateral cephalometric radiographs taken preoperatively, and after 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post surgery. The 3 groups did not differ with respect to clinical features or presurgical eranio-facial morphology. Neither was any significant difference in postoperative profile changes found between the groups. The surgery gave rise, directly and indirectly, to a number of changes in the facial soft tissue profile many of which were interrelated. The chin thickness increased by 2.3 mm, and the lower lip height exhibited a reduction of 1.8 mm at 1 month after surgery as a direct consequence of the operation. After 3 months the profile changes were mostly associated with the reduction of the anterior face height (overclosure).