Risk factors for postoperative infection after bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy: A retrospective analysis

Background: This retrospective clinical study investigated risk factors for infection following bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSO) as orthognathic surgery, including the patients' general condition, local factors, and surgical factors. Patients and methods: The cases of 160 mandibular sites of 80 Japanese patients (26 males, 54 females; mean +/- SD age: 25.3 +/- 7.7 years, range 16-55 yrs) with a jaw deformity who underwent BSSO orthognathic surgery at our Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery between Jan. 2017 and Dec. 2022 were analyzed. Potential risk factors were classified as clinical predictive variables. Descriptive and univariate statistics were computed. A multivariate analysis was performed with logistic regression. Results: Fifteen mandibular sites (9.4 %) were complicated with postoperative infection. The multivariate analysis revealed significant differences in facial asymmetry (OR 24.0, p = 0.0002) and the amount of mandibular movement (OR 0.664, p = 0.011) between the sites with and without infection. Conclusions: Among clinical variables, facial asymmetry was the strongest risk factor for post-BSSO infection, followed by the amount of mandibular movement. (C) 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.