Comparison of two surgical procedures in reduction of mandibular angle fracture

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine various post operative complications associated with two surgical procedures used for reduction of mandibular angle fractures. A Quasi-Experimental study was carried out in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital, Lahore. The study was carried out from 30[th] April 2006 to 30[th] April 2007on sixty patients with mandibular fractures. They were divided in to two categories. Thirty patients were treated by intra oral approach [Group A] and thirty by extra oral approach [Group B]. At different intervals of their post operative visits, these patients were evaluated for post operative complications of infection, nerve damage, hypertrophic scar, esthetic dissatisfaction, malocclusion and limitation in mouth opening. 20% of the patients treated with extraoral approach presented with post operative nerve damage and no patient treated by intra oral approach showed nerve damage [p=0.02]. Similarly postoperative esthetic dissatisfaction was present in only 6.67% of the patients treated with intraoral approach as compared to 63.33% patients treated with extraoral approach [p=0.00]. Based on this study intra oral approach was considered as more suitable method for the treatment of mandibular angle fractures