Skeletal Corrections of Facial Asymmetry

Facial asymmetries can manifest in all thirds of the face and in all planes (sagittal, transverse, and vertical). Significant asymmetry in adolescence and adults can result in esthetic as well as functional consequences such as malocclusion, nasal airway impairment, and temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD). In infants and children, asymmetry may also involve the cranial base, forehead, orbits, and neurological consequences. Etiologies may include congenital or developmental deformities, trauma, overgrowth, resorption of condyles, tumors, dysplasia, etc. Comprehensive diagnoses include etiology, age of onset, involved structures (hard and soft tissues), and degree of deformity, progressive or static, etc. Using appropriate diagnostic methods including clinical, imaging, lab tests, etc. will provide a detailed diagnosis and treatment approach to provide optimal treatment outcomes. This chapter focuses on the diagnostics as well as the planning and surgical techniques to correct asymmetries of the facial skeletal structures.