Abstract
The surgical treatment of pediatric mandibular fractures is complicated because of the dynamic nature of a developing mandible and the presence of permanent tooth germs. Therefore, the use of circummandibular wires with an occlusal splint, which is the traditional method of closed reduction and fixation, is more applicable in pediatric mandibular fractures.
Recently, some reviewers have reported on osteosynthesis, a procedure using titanium plate fixation, in pediatric mandibular fractures having excessive deviation of bone fragments or the possibility of causing redeviation when using circummandibular wires alone. However, this procedure has some limitations such as restriction on mandibular growth, bone atrophy due to excessive stress shielding, release of metal ions, and the requirement of a second surgery for plate removal.
Besides the titanium plate system, biodegradable plate fixation is mainly used in the field of craniomaxillofacial surgery. This method has been superior in the treatment of pediatric mandibular fractures because it does not involve a second surgery for plate removal and provides sufficient mechanical strength that is maintained during bone healing.
On the basis of our clinical investigation, we emphasize the use of either a titanium plate or a biodegradable plate for osteosynthesis, with respect to mandibular growth and permanent tooth germs, and suggest that our method is a safe and acceptable treatment modality for surgically treating pediatric mandibular fractures. However, long-term follow-up and a greater number of cases are needed to confirm our results.
