Screw osteosynthesis compared with wire osteosynthesis in advancement genioplasty: a retrospective study of skeletal stability

Objective — To compare the skeletal stability of wire and screw fixation after advancement genioplasty. Design — Retrospective study. Setting — Teaching hospital and private practice, South Africa. Subjects — 40 Patients who required advancement genioplasty, 20 in each group. Interventions — Advancement genioplasty measurements made on cephalometric radiographs before and immediately after operation, and at least 6 months later. Main outcome measures — Comparison of horizontal and vertical measurements. Results — In the screw (rigid) group mean horizontal advancement was 6.3 mm followed by a relapse of 0.3 mm during the follow up period. The corresponding figures for the wire (non-rigid) group were 5.8 and 0.5 mm. The two differed significantly in the degree of vertical change but the result is clinically unimportant. There was no difference in the degree of horizontal change. Conclusion — There was no difference in skeletal stability between the two groups.