Effect of tongue reduction on the orthodontic and surgical treatment of dysgnathia.

The results of reduction of tongue size in connection with orthodontic and surgical correction of prognathic anomalies of the jaws are presented. It is shown that reduction of the tongue size combined with orthodontic treatment arrests of tendency to prognathic growth when it is performed early. The results further indicate that the effect of prophylactic reduction of tongue size to check relapse following surgical correction of prognathism or open bite can only be confirmed in cases of genuine macroglossia. Since there was only one relapse in our cases without reduction of tongue size, the indication for preoperative prophylactic reduction of the tongue is limited. Personal results and experience have been compared with the findings published in the current literature.