Bite Force Assessment of Mandibular Interforaminal Fractures Treated with Combination of Microplate and Miniplate—A Randomized Control Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the mechanical behavior of combination of microplate and miniplate with two standard miniplates for fixation of mandibular fractures in the interforaminal region on the basis of bite force and other clinical parameters. A prospective randomized study was conducted on 20 patients with mandibular fracture requiring open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) who were randomly categorized into Group A and Group B with 10 patients in each group. Ten healthy persons whose age and gender matched with study groups were included in control Group C. Pre- and postoperative bite force was measured at specified intervals in both the study groups and was compared with the control group. The bite force values were comparatively less in Group A than Group B, although there was no statistically significant difference. Also, bite force values were less in both the study groups when compared with the control group. No statistically significant difference was found in other clinical parameters such as infection, fracture mobility, and hardware failure. The results were suggestive that the use of microplate and miniplate combination in management of minimally displaced mandibular fractures in the interforaminal region provides stable fixation comparable to two miniplate combination.