Outcomes of Manual Reduction vs Arch Bars for Mandibular Angle Fractures

Results: The sample was composed of 176 patients: single angle fracture (n=47), angle with 1 non-angle fracture (n=118), angle with 2 non-angle fractures (n=10), and bilateral angle fractures (n=1). For all fractures, arch bar MMF was found to have significantly lower malocclusion rates than both manual reduction (2.8% vs 17.5%, p=0.01) and non-arch bar MMF (2.8% vs 13.3%, p=0.04). For patients with single angle fractures, there was no statistically significant difference in infection or malocclusion rates when comparing manual reduction, non-arch bar MMF, and arch bar MMF. For patients with an angle fracture plus 1 non-angle fracture, arch bar MMF had significantly lower malocclusion rates than manual reduction (3.2% vs 25.0%, p<0.01) and was not significantly different compared to non-arch bar MMF.