Surgical treatment of a mandibular condyle fracture

Abstract

The condylar region is the most frequent anatomical site for mandibular fractures in children. Most surgeons opt for functional treatment which is not satisfactory in the long term because of the appearance of facial asymmetry and TMJ dysfunction, hence the interest in surgical management of displaced condylar fractures. In this article, we will describe the case of a 7-year-old child who fell from a height and sustained a subcondylar fracture with anteromedial dislocation. The clinical examination revealed a disorder of the dental articulation with laterodeviation. A panoramic radiograph was done which confirmed the fracture and then we performed a CT scan with 3D reconstruction which informed us about the degree of displacement of the fracture. The treatment was surgical with a mini TCP plate which allowed the correction of all these clinical manifestations. We believe that surgical treatment of displaced mandibular condyle fractures in children is still essential to avoid long-term complications.