Changes in psychosocial characteristics of patients with dentofacial deformities after corrective surgery: one-year prospective study

Abstract

Background: This is a prospective study of psychosocial characteristic changes of Hong Kong Chinese patients with dentofacial deformities after jaw corrective surgery. Objectives: To investigate the longitudinal changes of psychosocial characteristics and outcome trajectory of orthognathic patients during the postoperative 12 months. Methods: From 1 June 2011 to 30 June 2015, a prospective cohort study was carried out on Hong Kong Chinese. Self-completed questionnaires including Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Eysenck Personality Scale, Adult Trait Hope Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Life Orientation Test, Social Avoidance and Distress Scale and Satisfaction with Life Scale, were administered to each patient at surgical consent signing day (T1), first preoperative day (T2), first to second postoperative week (T3), third postoperative month (T4), sixth postoperative month (T5) and 12th postoperative month (T6). Outcome trajectories were established using the BSI Global Severity Index T score. Five patterns of outcome trajectories were created including chronic dysfunction, recovery, delayed reaction, resilience and others. Findings: 133 Participants were recruited. Highest psychological symptom level and anxiety level were noted preoperatively. No statistically significant difference was noted on other psychosocial parameters. The proportion of five outcome trajectories was resilience (50.6%), recovery (10.4%), chronic dysfunction (11.7%), delayed reaction (6.5%) and others (20.8%). Hong Kong Chinese patients with dentofacial deformity had lower psychological symptom level and anxiety level postoperatively. The depression level, life satisfaction level, optimism level, social distress and avoidance level of these patients were generally stable throughout the postoperative 12 months. Copyright © 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.