Statement of the Problem: Polylactate bone plates and screws represent a new technology with applications to oral and maxillofacial surgery. The major appeals are adequate strength to permit bone healing followed by biodegradation and excretion of the product. Complications include material breakage and exaggerated inflammatory response associated with biodegradation. The author has placed these materials in more than 300 patients over 5 years for a variety of applications including orthognathic/ craniofacial, facial trauma, and stabilization of bone grafts to the facial skeleton. This abstract will focus on analysis of the experience with the orthognathic/craniofacial patients. Materials and Methods: The products of 3 manufacturers have been used. Demographic data and an analysis of usage, and complications are determined by retrospective review of records. Variables such as systemic disease, age, gender, site of placement, patient size, manufacturer, etc, are tested for association with complications. Method of Data Analysis: The majority of experience has been 2 vendors (Bionx and Inion). Minimal experience is with another (Macropore). The mean age of the population is 23.28 12.05 years. The range is 7-62 years, and 70 percent of the populations are women. Of the 258 orthognathic/craniofacial patients, 175 had the material used to stabilize Le Fort I or higher level osteotomies. Also, 328 sagittal osteotomies, 87 genioplasties and 52 other mandibular osteotomies were stabilized, and 102 patients had simultaneous mobilization of the maxilla and mandible. Results: Complications consisted of material breakage requiring replacement or an intense inflammatory response requiring removal. The failure rate was 7 percent with 3 percent for material breakage and 4 percent because of inflammation. All material failure occurred in the mandible either at sagittal osteotomy sites or at the genioplasty sites. All intense inflammatory changes were observed at maxillary osteotomy sites where the quantity of material used is greatest and the overlying tissue is the thinnest. No association between material failure or inflammation was observed with the variables other than patient size (greater than 200 lb). Of the patients treated, 93 percent had successful outcomes, and 7 percent required another surgery to replace broken hardware or because of an intense inflammatory response. Also, 98 percent of the patients who were offered this technology desired its use. Conclusion: Polylactate bone plates and screws are promising technology with high patient appeal that have been used successfully in an orthognathic/craniofacial surgery population. The complication rate (7 percent) is acceptable and with improved delivery systems and instrumentation the technology will become popular.