Orthodontic appliances for skeletal anchorage are becoming increasingly more common in clinical practice. Similarly, different terms such as mini-implants, microimplants, and miniscrews have been used. There is a wide array of appliances currently on the market, in different designs and sizes, diameters, degree of titanium purity, and surface treatment. These appliances have been used for a variety of indications, including tooth retraction, intrusion, and traction. This study aimed to report the clinical case of a 19-year-old patient with a fractured mandible and to propose a novel use of miniimplants: the perioperative placement of mini-implants as anchors for maxillomandibular fixation steel wire ligatures. We concluded that this appliance provides an effective maxillomandibular fixation in patients with mandibular fracture, with little increase in the cost of surgery.
The head and face are relatively common sites of gunshot injury, and the temporomandibular joint is often affected. These wounds usually produce major deformity and functional impairment, particularly when the temporomandibular joint is affected or when structures such as the facial nerve are damaged. Complications may include mandibular displacement at maximum mouth opening and in protrusion, limited mouth opening, limited lateral movement of the jaw, anterior open bite, and, more rarely, temporomandibular ankylosis. Projectiles that strike the mandible usually cause comminuted fractures; maxillary wounds, in turn, are most commonly perforating. The present report describes a case of gunshot injury in which the projectile lodged within the mandibular fossa but did not cause any fractures. Oral and maxillofacial trauma surgeons must be aware of the different types of gunshot injury, as they produce distinct patterns of tissue destruction due to projectile trajectory and release of kinetic energy into surrounding tissue.
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