Mandibular motion after closed and open treatment of unilateral mandibularcondylar process fractures

Purpose: This study compared mandibular and condylar mobility after open or closed treatment for fractures of the mandibular condylar process. Patients and Methods: One hundred thirty-six patients (111 male, 25 female) , 74 treated by closed and 62 by open methods, were included in this study. They underwent testing of mandibular and condyle mobility at 6 weeks, 6 mo nths, and 1, 2, and 3 years postsurgery. A jaw-tracking device was used to assess mandibular motion. Radiographs that were traced and digitized were u sed to assess condylar displacement and condylar mobility. Standard statist ical methods were used to assess differences between groups. Results: Patients treated by open reduction had significantly greater initi al displacement of their condylar processes than did the group treated clos ed. Immediately after treatment and uprighting of the condyles in the open treatment group, patients treated closed had significantly more displacemen t. At 6 weeks, patients treated closed had some measures of mandibular mobi lity that were significantly greater than those in patients treated by open reduction. However, after the 6-week period there were minimal differences in mandibular mobility between groups. At 6 weeks, patients treated by ope n reduction had significantly greater vertical mobility of the condyle than patients treated closed despite less mouth opening. After the 6-week perio d, patients treated by open reduction continued to have greater condylar mo bility on the fractured side than did patients treated by closed methods. N o measures of postsurgical displacement correlated with mobility measures i n patients treated by open reduction. However, several measures of mandibul ar displacement correlated with measures of mobility in patients treated cl osed, indicating that the more displaced the condylar process, the more lim ited the mobility of the mandible, Conclusions: Based on this study, patients treated for fractures of the man dibular condylar process by open reduction had somewhat greater condylar mo bility than patients treated closed, even though the former group had more severely displaced fractures before surgery. Therefore, open reduction may produce functional benefits to patients with severely displaced condylar pr ocess fractures.