COMPUTERIZED AXIOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF CONDYLAR MOVEMENTS IN CASES WITH FRACTURES OF THE CONDYLAR PROCESS - A FOLLOW-UP OVER 19 YEARS

The treatment of fractures of the mandibular condylar process(es) can be conservative or surgical. However, in many cases, a definitive judg ment on the functional long-term outcome of the chosen therapy can onl y be given many years after the intervention. As a result, it is clear ly useful to be able to review the effects of treatment undertaken at least 15 years previously. Even so, only two such studies have been id entified. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the c urrent functional capacity of the mandibular condyles of 20 subjects w ho had had an uni- or bilateral fracture of the condylar process, on a verage 19 years ago. The individuals, who ail had been treated conserv atively, were compared with a control group of healthy volunteers matc hed for gender and age. Besides measuring maximum mouth opening (MMO), computerized axiographies in the sagittal plane were made for each co ndyle during MMO, maximum protrusion and maximum mediotrusion. In spit e of the high degree of inter-individual variability in both groups, t he data showed that the amount of condylar movement was in most cases greater in the control group. In general, it appears that the risk of developing functional problems after conservative treatment is highest in the case of a fracture of the condylar process accompanied by cond ylar luxation, rather than by a condylar dislocation or without it.