Craniomandibular disorders after surgical treatment of mandibular fractures

AIM: The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the relationship between the surgical treatment of mandibular fractures and the temporomandibular disorders (TMD). MATERIAL and METHODS: Two groups of 52 patients with facial trauma (18-35 aged) were studied. The former included 32 patients with no signs of TMD and the latter of 20 patients showing TMD. The use of a computerized kinesiographic program permitted a graphic comparison of the data both in the diagnostic and in the post-surgical phase. RESULTS and DISCUSSION: Many patients, didn’t receive adequate surgical treatment. In such cases fractures of the facial massif, rightly or wrongly, didn’t receive the required attention but were often postponed or even ignored, thus favouring conditions for consolidation in anomalous positions leading to functional and aesthetical problems. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical approach should be based on general criteria of traumatological therapy, restoring as soon as possible the original bone shape and the right occlusal relations to avoid craniomandibular disorders.