Case Report
Combination of Medical and Surgical Treatments for
Masseter Hypertrophy
M. Ayhan , Sabri Cemil
˙
Is ¸ler, and C. Kasapoglu
Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
Correspondence should be addressed to M. Ayhan; drmustafaayhan@gmail.com
Received 8 November 2017; Revised 11 January 2018; Accepted 12 March 2018; Published 5 April 2018
Academic Editor: Maria Beatriz Duarte Gavião
Copyright © 2018 M. Ayhan et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Masseter hypertrophy (MH) is one of the uncommon conditions that swelling can be seen in the angular mandibular region of the
face. e etiology of MH includes several factors, and various treatment methods are mentioned in the literature. Botulinum toxin
type A application is most commonly used for the treatment because of its less invasive feature. As a surgical method, some
treatment alternatives that aim to reduce muscle mass or reshape the bone tissue in the angular region are considered. In this case
report, a 21-year-old male patient with unilateral masseter hypertrophy on the right side is presented. After the patient was
diagnosed with MH, botulinum toxin treatment in two sessions at one-month intervals was done. Since the reduction in muscle
volume was not in satisfactory dimensions after the botulinum toxin application, the masseter was reduced on the right side
through an intraoral approach. At the same time, bone enlargements on each side of the angulus mandibula were reshaped and
smoothened through an extraoral retro mandibular approach. Clinical and radiographic evaluation of the patient revealed more
aesthetic and symmetrical appearance in the regular controls.
1. Introduction
Masseter hypertrophy (MH) is an uncommon condition that
can cause aesthetic and functional problems. Aesthetic
problems consist of prominent masseter muscle in the face,
rectangular face shape, and wide mandibular angle. Patients
may suffer psychological issues due to an unattractive look
[1]. Differential diagnosis requires clinical history and
physical examination and may even include complementary
imagination resources such as magnetic resonance (MR) and
computed tomography (CT) scans to exclude other disor-
ders. Differential diagnosis must consist of muscle tumors,
salivary gland disorders, and intrinsic masseter myopathy.
In some cases, patients may report signs and symptoms of
well-localized pain [1, 2]. However, it is asymptomatic, and
patients’ chief complaint is about aesthetics. Moreover,
masseteric musculature is inserted in the mandibular angle
anatomically and can cause overdevelopment of these angles
because of its traction forces [2]. e etiology of MH has
been attributed to many factors such as tensions and
clenching caused by emotional stress, chronic bruxism,
masseteric hyperfunction, and parafunction. It is essential to
make the differential diagnosis of head and neck mass,
particularly unilateral mass located in the cheek. e possible
underlying pathologic factors should be assessed carefully
with detailed patient history and imaging techniques before
deciding on treatment [3]. Treatment of MH is controversial.
Varying degrees of success have been reported for some of the
treatment options for MH which range from simple phar-
macotherapy to more invasive surgery. Reduction of the
masseter muscle, osteotomy, botulinum toxin, and splint
therapy are options for managing this problem [2, 3]. In-
jection of botulinum toxin type A into the masseter muscle is
considered as a less invasive modality and has been reported
to be successfully used for cosmetic sculpting of the lower face
[4]. Botulinum toxin type A (botulinum toxin) is a potent
neurotoxin which is produced by the anaerobic organism
Clostridium botulinum and when injected into a muscle
causes interference with the neurotransmitter mechanism,
producing selective paralysis and subsequent atrophy of the
muscle [3–5]. Results showed the efficiency of botulinum in
MH, but many times in MH concomitant with bone en-
largement in the angulus; therefore, the best aesthetic results
may be gained with manipulation of the bony structure. e
Hindawi
Case Reports in Dentistry
Volume 2018, Article ID 7168472, 5 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7168472