INTRAORAL MONOCORTICAL MINIPLATING OF MANDIBLE FRACTURES

Objective: Intraoral monocortical miniplate fixation of mandibular fra ctures provides simultaneous visualization of the fracture and occlusa l relation, while almost eliminating external incisions and potential compromise of the marginal mandiblular nerve. We sought to analyze the outcome of our patients treated with this tech nique and compare this with literature standards for mandible fracture repair outcome. Desig n: A retrospective analysis of outcomes for a case series. Setting: Al l treatment performed in inner city, level 1 or 2 trauma rated, teachi ng hospitals. Patients: During a 5-year period, 287 patients with 499 mandible fractures were treated with intraoral miniplates. Follow-up c riteria was available for a retrospective analysis of 246 patients wit h 432 fractures of the mandible. Intervention: Intraoral monocortical plating techniques were used to treat 313 of these 432 mandibular frac tures. Main Outcome Measures: All complications of bone union, occlusi on, wound infection, and dehiscence were graded and tabulated. Results : On analysis of the miniplated fractures, 1.2% of the patients had de layed union, 0.4% had nonunion, 6.5% had postoperative wound infection develop, and 4.1% had varying degrees of malunion. Complication rates are comparable with most reported studies of bicortical and monocorti cal plating of mandible fractures. Conclusions: Monocortical miniplate fixation is a reliable method of providing rigid fixation. It offers a reasonable alternative to bicortical plating in most mandible fractu res.