Case Report: Management of pediatric Le Fort and mandibular fracture with a modified cap splint

Abstract

Pediatric facial fractures are rare and make up 5–15% of all facial fractures. The low incidence of facial fractures among children is due to physiological and environmental factors such as greater resilience of the pediatric skeleton, higher bone to tooth ratio, direct parental supervision and limited outdoor activity.1 In children of 5–10 years of age nasal fractures are by far the most frequent (58.6%), followed by mandibular fractures (21.5%). Orbital (9.5%), frontal (5.1%), and midfacial (3.8%) fractures are next in frequency2. Le Fort fractures are very rare in children, and there is a paucity of literature presenting their frequency and characteristics. In the mandible condylar fracture is the most common (38.9%) followed by angle (20.6%), parasymphysis (18.3%), body (15.3%) and symphysis (5.3%).3 Facial fractures are more common in boys, though this varies greatly from 1.1:1 to 8.5:1.4 The majority of facial fractures in children result from falls (7.8–48%) and sports-related injuries (4.4–42%).5 In primary or mixed dentition, the placement of internal fixation hardware is challenging due to the risk of injuring unerupted permanent tooth follicles. The use of resorbable plates and screws offer a potential solution to the growing pediatric facial bone as the standard titanium fixation systems carry the risk of translocation, growth restriction, and dental injury. Dental splinting or suspension wires can also be used in place of direct plating. Fortunately, mild malocclusion at this age has the potential to be improved through bony remodeling, the eruption of permanent dentition, compensation of the mastication mechanism, and posttraumatic orthodontia.6 Accordingly, the goal of treatment is to restore the underlying bony architecture to its preinjury position in a stable fashion with minimal residual functional and esthetic impairment.