Retrospective cohort analysis shows improved recovery outcomes with orofacial therapy in patients with mandibular fractures, suggesting rehabilitation value.
BACKGROUND: Mandibular fractures may result in important functional and quality-of-life impairments even after surgical repair. Postoperative rehabilitation has been proposed as a strategy to improve recovery, but comparative evidence remains limited. PURPOSE: Compare postoperative recovery outcomes after mandibular fracture repair between patients who underwent postoperative orofacial myofunctional therapy and those who did not. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 40 patients. Postoperative recovery was assessed using the QoR-15 questionnaire and an additional patient-reported question regarding time to recovery. RESULTS: Patients who underwent therapy had shorter recovery time and a higher total QoR-15 score. In Poisson regression analysis, postoperative orofacial myofunctional therapy remained significant in explaining recovery time. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective cohort, postoperative orofacial myofunctional therapy was associated with shorter recovery time and better total postoperative recovery scores after mandibular fracture repair. Additional prospective studies are needed to allow a more concrete and measurable evaluation of this association.
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Camargo et al. (2026) studied this question.
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