Mandibular fractures are encountered in cases oforofacial trauma, dif
ferent treatment modalities are being suggested in the literature. The sim
plest method is with intermaxillary fixation, however it is not suitable for
every case. Recently, plate and screw rigid fixation is gaining more accep
tance by both the operators and the patients for its advantages over wire
fixation. Twenty patients were included in this study with mandibular
fractures. Ten patients were subjected to intermaxillary fixation either
with open or closed methods and the remaining 10 were subjected to in
ternal rigid fixation. Three patients of the first group experienced compli
cations (prolonged open bite infection and nonunionj.One patient of the
second group experienced numbness of the lower lip. This study has
shown more rapid healing and greater resistance to separation when
fracture is placed under compression as internal rigidjixation. |
