Single Plate Management of Mandibular Fractures with Immediate Post Operative Functional Recovery

Comparative study conducted on eighty dentate mandibular fracture patients at maxillofacial unit of de,Montmorency College of Dentistry / Punjab Dental Hospital Lahore, treated by open reduction and internal Fixation (ORIF) by mini plates and screws in two Groups. Group-A, treated by two plate fixation and Group-B, treated by one plate fixation with tension banding by an archbar in place of second plate to provide effective stabilization of fracture segments. Most of these patients were treated under local anesthesia during the period of19962000. Post operative complications were less in Group -B when compared to Group -A, so favoring the use of an archbar as tension band to over come the tortional forces produced at anterior body region of mandible during function. Aim was to evaluate of an archbar as tension band in comparison with tension band plate to reduce implant material and minimize implant related post operative complications, with provision of an alternative technique for mandibular osteosynthesis. Infection was the common post operative complication (7.5%), it was 5% in Group -A and 2.5% in Group -B, other complications in Group A include 5% malocclusion and 10% plate removal and no such complications were found in Group-B. Osteosynthesis by both techniques is effective in providing immediate post operative function but complications were minimum in Group-B.