Surgeons treating maxillofacial bone fractures seek to recover complex preinjury dento-oral and maxillofacial functions including occlusion and mastication, reconstruct pre-trauma bone structure, and regain the pre-trauma facial appearance, thereby facilitating social reintegration. Mandibular fractures are the fractures commonly encountered by oral and maxillofacial surgeons in daily practice. To obtain good clinical results, surgeons must make appropriate diagnoses, be very familiar with the treatment of choice, have an indepth knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics, and have considerable experience with the unique features of the various surgical approaches as well as the use of fixation devices, materials, and osteosynthetic systems. When using conservative treatments, mandibular bone fragments are indirectly reduced and stabilized by re-establishment of the appropriate occlusal relationships; in such cases, an intermaxillary fixation device is generally placed for a limited time. Today, patients demand early restoration of social integration and function; thus, it is key to ensure uneventful bone healing and sound reunion without complications using surgical treatment of open reduction and internal fixation. Titanium plates and screws may be used for mandibular buttressing and to afford rigid fixation/osteosynthesis of mandibular bony fragments or segments. The various osteosynthetic techniques are based on the Champy’s ideal line theory and the AO concepts of load-sharing and load-bearing during osteosynthesis; these parameters are affected by the mandibular fracture type, mode, and pattern. In this review, we introduce and discuss the basic diagnostic and treatment principles of mandibular fractures, excluding mandibular condyle fractures.
