Review of Diet Protocols Following Orthognathic Surgery and Analysis of Postoperative Weight Loss

Introduction Orthognathic surgery is routinely practiced, yet little comparative data exists to evaluate post-orthognathic surgery diet protocols. Objective To evaluate which postoperative diet protocols are recommended and to quantify post-orthognathic surgery weight changes in our institutional cohort. Methods An internet search was carried out on Google for “orthognathic surgery diet” and the postoperative diet recommendations from centers worldwide were quantified. Additionally, a retrospective analysis of patients that underwent orthognathic surgery at our institution was performed, and their preoperative and postoperative weights were recorded. Results The internet search yielded 58 centers that met our inclusion criteria. Most centers were in the United States (n = 37, 63.8%) and were oral and maxillofacial surgeon (OMFS)-led centers (n = 39, 67.2%). Postoperative diets were categorized into 7 distinct protocols, ranging from most to least restrictive—the most popular was liquid diet for 2 to 4 weeks followed by soft diet for 2 to 6 weeks. There were no significant patterns observed across different geographical regions or specialties. In our institution, 135 patients were identified. Overall, there was an average maximum weight loss of 4.1 kg by week 4, followed by a gradual increase in weight. Linear regression analysis showed that patients with greater preoperative body mass index (BMI) lost more weight postoperatively than patients with lower BMI (R 2  = 0.25, P < .001). Conclusion There is a significant variability in recommended postoperative diets following orthognathic surgery. Following a moderately restrictive diet at our institution, patients returned to their preoperative weight after approximately 4 months.