The transoral treatment of mandibular fractures using noncompression miniplates: a prospective study.

A prospective study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of noncompression miniplates in the repair of mandible fractures treated at a large regional trauma center. The study included 54 cases of all types of adult mandible fractures with the exception of fractures of the condylar neck and ascending ramus. Cases were excluded in which preexisting infection was present. The technique consisted of a transoral approach followed by monocortical juxtaalveolar and subapical osteosynthesis without long-term intermaxillary fixation. Overall, there were 7 complications associated with this technique (13%): 4 infections (7.4%), 1 malunion (1.9%), and 2 mental nerve paresthesias (3.7%). These results compare favorably with those reported in the literature and suggest that mandibular osteosynthesis using miniature malleable plates is a useful and effective method for the repair of selected mandible fractures.