Imaging Evaluation for Jaw Deformities: Diagnostic Workup and Pre-Treatment Imaging Checklist for Orthognathic Surgery

In addition to standardized lateral cephalometric radiographs, comprehensive assessment using dental cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and CT has become commonplace in the diagnosis and treatment of jaw deformities. Simulation based on cephalometric and CT data is particularly useful in the management of jaw deformities, both for evaluation and prognostic prediction. As such imaging examinations cover a wide anatomical region, it is not uncommon for various incidental pathologies to be discovered. This review emphasizes the necessity of evaluating the entire imaged area in addition to the chief complaint. Furthermore, it outlines the essential anatomical structures that should be assessed during diagnostic imaging performed prior to representative surgical procedures for jaw deformities (e.g., sagittal split ramus osteotomy and Le Fort I osteotomy). This review paper is descriptive in nature, incorporating our facility’s empirical aspects, and presents representative cases in a narrative format; it is not a systematic review. In other word, as the evidence-based literature does not cover all aspects of pretreatment evaluation, these criteria are based on the past experience of the authors.