N 2 teeth in the line of mandibular fractures : epidemiology , management and complications

I. Senior Resident, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Curitiba Dental School, State University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. II. Professor, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Curitiba Dental School, State University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. III. Professor, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Piracicaba Dental School and Division of Plastic Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas Unicamp, São Paulo, Brazil. IV. Resident of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. V. Professor of the Resident of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. ABstrAct Purpose: To examine the incidence, the regions most affected, the management as well as the complications found in teeth involved in the line of mandibular fractures. Methods: Data were collected from patients records treated of mandibular fractures. It was included information such as demographic data, fracture location, presence of teeth in the line of fracture, treatment and complications. Results: The sample has presented a total of 310 lines of fracture, from these, 144 had teeth involved. The most affected area was the angle, followed by the parasymphysis, body, alveolar process and symphysis. There were 196 “fracture line” teeth, 60 of which had been removed. Postoperative complications occurred in 8.6% of the sample. From the cases that presented complications, patients without teeth involved in the fracture line ranged 43.75% and patients with teeth involved in the fracture line reached 56.25%. When the tooth was removed 8.47% of the patients presented complications and when the tooth was retained 2.85%. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the presence of teeth in the line of fracture is not a limiting factor for the treatment. The complications are more frequently related to the chosen method of treatment than to the involvement of teeth in the line of fracture. Key-Words: mandibular fracture, jaw fracture, complications, tooth nonvitality.