2.6. Costs of orthognathic surgery

Little has been written about the costs of orthognathic surgery, although continuously growing expenditure poses serious challenges to the current health economy and medicine in all fields. Dolan et al. (1987) analyzed the hospital charges for orthognathic surgery, focusing on the surgical phase. Later, Lombardo et al. (1994) and Dolan & White (1996) made comparisons of different costs using the results of the previous study by Dolan et al. (1987) as reference. They found, for example, that the time spent in hospital had decreased significantly during a few years. They concluded this to be due to the introduction and use of the internal rigid fixation method, which, on the other hand, increased the expenses of orthognathic surgery. Permert et al. (1998) presented cost data from orthodontic treatment in the Public Dental Service in Sweden. Orthodontics with removable appliances performed in general dental practices included an average of 8 visits and cost approximately 1000 US dollars. If the treatment turned out to be complicated, the patient was referred to a specialist clinic. There does not, however, seem to be any comprehensive report of the costs and cost factors of the whole process of orthognathic surgery.