No apparent association between dental implants and mandibular fractures resulting from external forces.

Abstract

Dental implants are cylindrical metallic screws inserted into the jawbone to replace missing teeth. Their location may affect the pattern of fractures that occur as a result of the traumatic forces to the mandible. The aim of this study was to investigate possible influences of dental implants on the patterns of mandibular fractures triggered by external forces. In this observational cross-sectional study, a total of 390 patients with mandibular fractures diagnosed between February 2016 and December 2020 were examined and the presence or absence of dental implants in the fracture gap was noted. Clinical and radiological data were analyzed in relation to the fracture line, the dental status, and the location of any implants. A total of 16 patients (4.1%) had previously placed dental implants in the mandible. Various fracture patterns were observed. Some yielded typical fracture lines located in the anatomically weak areas along the roots of the incisors, the mental foramina, and long-rooted molars. Occasionally, fracture lines were detected in combination with condylar fractures. Dental implants were not directly involved in any fracture line, except one. In that case, the fracture line extended from the alveolar process straight along the implant body, mimicking initial disintegration of the implant, with erosion of the surrounding bone. Once dental implants have osseointegrated, mandibular fractures are rarely projected along the implant surface. This observational retrospective cross-sectional study failed to associate mandibular fracture lines with the presence of dental implants.