Preliminary Study of the Efficacy of Conservative Treatment Using a Bite Plate for Condylar Neck Fracture of the Mandible

Abstract

Fracture of the mandibular condyle accounts for 20-30 % of mandibular fracture cases overall. We will hereby report on four cases of fracture of the mandibular condyle for which good outcomes were achieved by means of fixation and aggressive mouth-opening exercises using a bite plate as a type of conservative treatment. Patients between the ages of 6 and 53 years with the mean age of 37.25 years were investigated. The male to female ratio was 3:1. Of the four patients with fracture of the mandibular condyle, three exhibited midline fracture of the mandible. Bite plates were fabricated and intermaxillary fixation was conducted for 1-3 weeks with these bite plates for patients who presented at hospital from 1-10 days after injury and were refused surgery. After completion of intermaxillary fixation, aggressive mouth-opening exercises were implemented. Once sufficient mouth opening was possible, the healing progress was confirmed on computed tomography (CT) images. Treatment methods for fracture of the mandibular condyle include invasive and non-invasive ones. Favorable treatment outcomes were achieved with intermaxillary fixation using a bite plate and mouth-opening exercises in this study. Therefore, we conducted a preliminary study on the efficacy of this treatment and will hereby report on the results.