Comparisons of the Clinical Outcomes of Mandible Contouring Surgery With or Without the Use of Intraoral Drains.

BACKGROUND

Mandible contouring surgery is a common cosmetic procedure aimed at reducing the width of the lower face or correcting chin-related issues by contouring the mandible. Typically, an intraoral drain is placed during procedures involving the reduction of the mandible angle portion to mitigate seroma or hematoma formation. Despite this standard practice, anecdotal evidence suggests that the omission of drains does not significantly impact complication rates or surgical outcomes.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted to compare surgical outcomes and complication rates between patients who received intraoral drains (n = 338) and those who did not (n = 132) during mandible contouring surgery. The primary outcomes measured included the incidence of seroma, hematoma, and infection by counting the number of post-operative interventions required to address these complications. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square tests for categorical variables. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The incidence of post-operative surgical interventions for bleeding control or hematoma evacuation in the drain group was 0.59% compared to 0% in the no-drain group (p = 0.922). Minimally invasive interventions were required in 2.37% of patients with drains and 3.03% without drains (p = 0.933). Infection rates were 1.18% in the drain group versus 0.76% in the no-drain group (p = 1.0).

CONCLUSION

The study demonstrates no statistically significant difference in complication rates between mandible contouring surgeries performed with or without intraoral drains. These findings suggest that the routine use of drains may be unnecessary, potentially simplifying post-operative care and reducing patient discomfort.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .