Poster 081: Surgical Treatment of Mandibular Angle Fractures Using Intraoral Approach and Fixation With 1 Noncompression Miniplate: Clinical and Radiographic Study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the results in patients treated for mandibular angle fractures with a single miniplate. Twenty one patients with 22 mandibular angle fractures were treated by open reduction and internal fixation using one noncompression miniplate positioned along the mandible oblique line with 2.0 mm self-threading screws placed through an intraoral incision. No patient was placed into postoperative intermaxilar fixation. All patients were operated by the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Division from the School of Dentistry of Aracatuba, Sao Paulo State University – UNESP, Brazil, during a 31 months period. The study had the UNESP Ethical Committee of Research approval and every patient was given a participation explanation and a consent form to sign for being part of the study group. They were prospectively studied for complications by clinical and radiographic evaluation by the same oral surgeon. Follow-up ranged from 6 to 44 months, with a mean of 15 months and 1 day. Complications occurred in 3 patients (14.3%). One patient (4.8%) presented post-operative infection, one (4.8%) malocclusion, and one (4.8%) sensory disturbance – hyperesthesia in the region of the retained miniplate. The only case requiring a further surgical intervention under general anesthesia was the infection case. Thus, results allowed concluding that the fixation method was suitable for treatment of simple mandibular angle fractures, the presence of only one noncompression miniplate did not interfere on the post-operative complication rate, and the method avoided postoperative intermaxillary fixation.