Lack of evidence exists related to the incidence of postoperative complications in asthmatic patients following orthognathic surgery. The present study aimed to assess the incidence and risk factors of postoperative complications in asthmatic patients following orthognathic surgery.

A retrospective cohort study was conducted which consisted of two groups of patients i.e., asthmatic and systemically healthy patients, who underwent conventional orthognathic surgical procedures (Le Fort I osteotomy, bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, and genioplasty). The recorded postoperative complications in both groups of patients included infection, relapse, altered facial sensation, temporomandibular joint disorder, respiratory complications, and hemorrhage-related events. The association between baseline variables and complications for identifying the possible risk factors was assessed using bivariate analysis and a logistic regression model.

A total of 886 patients underwent orthognathic surgery over a period of 6-years. Following the eligibility criteria, 16 patients were recruited in the asthmatic group and 278 patients were systemically healthy. The most common complications in the asthmatic patients were altered sensation (37.5%) followed by TMJ disorder (25.0%) and relapse (18.8%). These patients were associated with an increased risk of relapse (P = 0.048) compared to healthy patients. Following adjustment of baseline variables, increased risk of relapse was still associated with asthma (odds ratio [OR]. = 4.704, P = 0.027).

Asthmatic patients suffer from a significantly higher risk of relapse and need to be closely monitored following orthognathic surgery to ensure a stable outcome. Asthma does not seem to have a significant impact on other postoperative complications.