Thorough preoperative preparation is a critical factor for successful orthognathic surgery outcomes. By applying different analytical approaches, dysgnathic regions can be accurately detected and specifically targeted during the planning phase. The Brons-Mulié soft-tissue analysis was applied to standardized profile photographs taken before and after orthognathic surgery. Achievement of normative values was regarded as evidence of restored facial harmony across the examined proportions. Direct comparison of pre- and postoperative measurements served as an objective quality control of the surgical results. A total of 160 patients (age range 13–61 years) had complete pre- and postoperative Brons-Mulié analyses available for comparison. Postoperatively, facial harmony was achieved in the vertical dimension in 99 patients (62%), in the upper lip region in 95 patients (59%), in the lower lip region in 138 patients (86%), and in the chin region in 118 patients (74%). This represented an improvement of 20% for the vertical dimension, 27% for the lower lip area, and 6% for the chin area. The upper lip region showed a minor worsening of 7%. Even when Brons-Mulié analysis is systematically used for preoperative planning of orthognathic surgery, postoperative outcomes demonstrate clear overall improvement yet rarely reach ideal harmony. Achieving perfect proportional balance remains challenging despite the use of this method.
