Etiology, Patterns And Treatment Modalities For Mandibular Fractures

Objective: The objective of current study was to evaluate the etiology, patterns of presentation, frequency and different treatment modalities for mandibular fractures in patients treated at Lahore Medical and Dental College/Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital (LMDC/GTTH). Methodology: This descriptive – cross sectional study was conducted at Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore/Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital (LMDC/GTTH) from March 2015 to September 2017. The current study included one hundred and twelve (112) patients who were indentified having mandibular fractures. Data were collected regarding patient’s age, gender, etiology, site of fracture, patterns and treatment modalities and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The patients’ ages were between 3 to 55 years (24.87±10.867, mean/SD). The majority of fractures occurred amongst 21-30 years of age group having female to male ratio of 1:5.6. Road traffic accident (RTA) was the most frequent etiological factor for mandibular fractures in 89 (79.47%) of patients, followed by assaults 11(09.82%) and fall 07 (06.25%). A total of 189 fractures were recorded in 112 patients giving a mean of 1.7 fractures per patient. Out of 189 fractures, the parasymphysis was the most prominent site of mandibular fractures(43.39%), followed by condyle (22.75%) and angle (15.87%). The treatment modality of open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF/ORIF with IMF) was performed in 88(78.57%) of patients while closed reduction and indirect fixation (IMF with eyelet wiring/arch bar elastics & splint fixation) was done in 24 (21.43%) of patients. Conclusion: As evidenced by the present study, road traffic accidents are the most common cause of mandibular fractures in young adults, mostly due to violation of traffic rules. These findings highlight the need to reinforce legislation for prevention of such injuries both in children and adults