The purpose of this integrative literature review is to deepen knowledge of complications in orthognathic surgery. The search was carried out in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) and PUBMED with access to journals indexed in the EMBASE, SCOPUS, MEDLINE and LILACS databases in addition to OVID, COCHRANE and CINHAL with the following search structure: ((Intraoperative Complications) OR (Post-operative Complications)) AND Orthognathic Surgical Procedures . A total of 819 articles published between 1980 and 2010 were identified, of which 23 met the study’s criteria. The methodological designs of the retrieved articles included: prevalence studies, clinical trials, systematic reviews, case–control and cohort studies. The complications most commonly found were: nerve injuries (12.1%), infection (3.4%), problems with fixation material (2.5%), temporomandibular joint disorder (2.1%), unfavorable fracture (1.8%), changes in cicatrization (1.7%) and hemorrhaging (1.4%). Given the many complications identified, mastering the treatment of orthognathic surgery and improved interaction within the multidisciplinary team will enable the delivery of safe care to surgical patients.

Conflict of interest: None declared.