A multicenter and epidemiological study of patterns and treatment strategies for mandibular condyle fractures

Abstract

To evaluate retrospectively the epidemiological characteristics of the prevalence, type and treatment modalities of the condylar mandibular fractures. Data of all patients who underwent surgical or nonsurgical management for condyle mandibular fracture were collected. The study was conducted to assess the trauma etiology, age group, gender, treatment method, anatomic distribution of injury and complications by reviewing patients’ records. There were 139 patients with 171 mandibular condylar fractures. Among these patients, 85% were men, with an overall male-to-female ratio of 5.6:1. The highest occurrence of trauma was in the 21-30 years age group. The most frequently observed etiology was motorcycle traffic accidents and the subcondylar region was the most common location with 109 fractures. There was statistically significant difference between treatments (p < 0,001). In the nonsurgical treatment group, the prevalence of complications was observed compared to the surgical group (p < 0.001). The predominant complications were: mouth opening limitation, mandibular deviation, malocclusion, temporomandibular disorder, paresthesia and facial paralysis. Considering the limitations of this study, subcondylar fractures were the most frequent, especially in men aged 21-30 years, and the surgical treatment showed the fewest complications.