Anatomical Location of Initial and Repeat Mandible Fractures: A 5-Year, Multi-Institution Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate new fracture patterns resulting from low velocity mechanisms in subjects who had previously fractured their mandible and had been treated with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) or closed reduction. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A multi-institutional retrospective cohort study was designed to analyze subjects presenting at 2 tertiary care centers with mandibular fractures with specific interest in subjects who had repeat mandible fractures. Variables recorded included demographic (age, sex, etc) data, fracture location of all fractures treated, and the location of previous fracture. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were completed of the data. RESULTS: The sample included a total of 492 subjects and 875 total fractures from both institutions. Four hundred fourty-four (91.1%) were male. The average age of all subjects was 36.4 ± 14.9 years. Twenty-six (5.28%) subjects were previously treated for a mandible fracture. All subjects' subsequent fractures occurred outside of previous ORIF except for 1 subject. Original fracture location (P = .596) and previous ORIF type (P = .689) did not influence if the subsequent fracture was within a site of previous ORIF. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates that repeat mandible fractures are relatively rare, likely to occur only 5% of the time at large tertiary care centers. The repeat fracture is not likely to occur in a site of previous ORIF, regardless of the ORIF modality. Furthermore, the fracture is likely to occur on the contralateral side. This is 1 of the largest data sets on repeat mandible fractures, which, given their rarity, are difficult to study.

Are Psychiatric History and Substance Use Predictors of Mortality in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wounds to the Face?

PURPOSE: Self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the face are one of the most challenging clinical scenarios encountered by oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Knowledge is lacking regarding which factors might influence survival after these devastating injuries, especially pertaining to psychiatric history and substance use. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the risk factors that might influence the survival of subjects with self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the face. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was designed to analyze the data from subjects presenting to the University of Louisville Trauma Center with self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the face from February 2010 to September 2019. The predictor variables included demographic (eg, age, gender, race), medical and psychiatric history, and toxicology test results. The primary outcome variable was death before hospital discharge. Descriptive, bivariate, and logistic regression models were computed. RESULTS: The sample included 120 subjects, with an age range of 16 to 85 years old (average age, 43.5 years); 90.8% were male, and 56.7% had survived their suicide attempt. Of the 120 patients, 35% had a history of depression, 23.3% tested positive for benzodiazepines, and 33% had a social history positive for smoking, alcohol use, and/or drug use. Depression was the single largest predictor of mortality. Patients with depression were significantly more likely to survive their injuries than were patients without depression (odds ratio, 0.230; P = .003). The presence of benzodiazepines in toxicology tests was also a significant predictor of mortality (odds ratio, 0.297; P = .018); patients testing positive were more likely to survive than were patients with negative test results or positive test results for other drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects who attempt suicide via self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the face were more likely to survive their injury if they had a reported history of depression or test results positive for a benzodiazepine.

Immediate Reconstruction of Segmental Mandibular Defects With Nonvascular Bone Grafts: A 30-Year Perspective.

PURPOSE: The use of nonvascular bone grafts for immediate mandibular reconstruction has remained a controversial topic. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the variables that might influence graft survival examining the outcomes from 30 years of experience. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We designed a retrospective cohort study to analyze the data from patients at a tertiary university medical center who had undergone segmental mandibular resection with immediate reconstruction with a nonvascularized free bone graft with or without adjuncts from 1989 to 2019. The predictor variables recorded included general demographic data, pathologic diagnosis, resection length, reconstruction modality, bone graft type, and inferior alveolar nerve procedures. The primary outcome variable was graft success, defined as bony union demonstrated on panoramic radiographs and mandibular stability demonstrated on clinical examination at 4 months postoperatively. Descriptive, bivariate, and linear regression models were computed. RESULTS: The sample included 47 subjects with a mean age of 43 ± 16 years; 51.1% were men. Of the 47 patients, 25 had a tissue diagnosis of benign tumor, most of which were ameloblastoma (n = 16) or ossifying fibroma (n = 6), and 22 had a tissue diagnosis of osteomyelitis or medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). The average resection size for all the patients was 6.9 ± 2.5 cm and was 6.1 ± 1.5 cm for those with a benign tumor and 7.8 ± 3.1 cm for those with osteomyelitis or MRONJ. The mean defect size of grafts that failed was 10.7 ± 3.5 cm and 6.5 ± 2.0 cm for those that succeeded (P ≤ .001). A linear regression model revealed that graft length correlated significantly with graft outcome (ß-coefficient, -0.548; 95% confidence interval, 0.905 to 1.542; P ≤ .001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study have shown that nonvascular bone grafts can be used to immediately reconstruct mandibular defects greater than 6 cm from benign pathologic lesions; however, larger grafts are more likely to fail.

Management of Mandibular Osteomyelitis With Segmental Resection, Nerve Preservation, and Immediate Reconstruction.

PURPOSE: The purpose was to present our experience with management of mandibular osteomyelitis with segmental resection, nerve preservation, and immediate reconstruction with nonvascularized bone grafts. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We completed a retrospective analysis of 18 cases overseen by a single practitioner at a university medical center from June 2011 to July 2018. All patients had osteomyelitis and were treated with segmental mandibular resection, inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) preservation, and immediate reconstruction with autogenous bone graft from the tibia. Data obtained from medical records included the chief complaint at initial presentation, resection size, and IAN neurosensory recovery at 6 months, as well as descriptive statistics of the patient cohort. The university institutional review board granted this study exempt status. RESULTS: The patient cohort had a mean age of 50.9 years, ranging from 29 to 70 years, and included 11 female and 7 male patients. The mean follow-up time was 15 months. The most common chief complaint at initial presentation was pathologic fracture (39%), followed closely by abscess (33%). The average mandibular resection size of all patients was 8.1 cm (standard deviation [SD], 3.3 cm). The resection size measured 7.1 cm (SD, 2.6 cm) in patients with successful bone grafts (n = 15) and 13.1 cm (SD, 2.0 cm, P = .0016) in those with graft failure (n = 3). IAN neurosensory testing showed that 54% of patients had no meaningful recovery at 6 months, 25% had partial recovery, and 21% had full recovery. Finally, osteomyelitis was eliminated in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Segmental mandibular resection is an effective method for eradicating mandibular osteomyelitis. Furthermore, immediate reconstruction via nonvascularized grafts is successful in cases with large defects, with a mean defect size of 7.1 ± 2.6 cm. However, IAN-sparing surgery is not effective for preserving patient IAN function. Taken together, our findings show that mandibular resection with immediate reconstruction is a viable method in the treatment of mandibular osteomyelitis. This method removes infection and shortens the disease course.

In-House Digital Workflow for the Management of Acute Mandible Fractures.

Computer-aided design and additive manufacturing are revolutionizing oral and maxillofacial surgery. Current methods use virtual surgical planning sessions and custom plate milling via third-party vendors, which is costly and time-consuming, negating the effectiveness in acute facial trauma. This technical note describes a state-of-the-art in-house expedited digital workflow for computer-aided virtual fracture reduction, 3-dimensional printing, and preoperative reconstruction plate adaptation for the management of an acute mandible fracture. This process uses the computed tomographic scan a patient receives in the emergency department or clinic. The DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) data are transferred into US Food and Drug Administration-approved software, in which the fracture is segmented and virtually reduced based on condylar position, midline symmetries, and occlusion if present. The reduced mandible is then printed, which serves as a template for preoperative reconstruction plate adaptation. This method facilitates a virtually reduced fractured mandible, 3-dimensionally printed model, and ideally adapted plates ready for sterilization before surgery within 2 hours after DICOM upload.

An Overview of Maxillofacial Approaches to Smile Design.

The oral and maxillofacial surgeon (OMS) has the knowledge and skills to make drastic skeletal changes in favor of a more cosmetic smile. OMS can alter intraoral and extraoral soft tissues to make subtle or significant changes in facial cosmesis. This article provides an overview of the scope of the OMS in smile design. The authors provide a cursory review of pertinent gross and surgical facial anatomy, discuss the role of orthognathic surgery and rhinoplasty in smile cosmesis, and describe the fundamentals of common cosmetic procedures ranging from gingivoplasty to lip lift and lip augmentation and the use of neurotoxins.

Cone beam computed tomographic findings in refractory chronic suppurative osteomyelitis of the mandible.

AIMS: To report the imaging features of osteomyelitis of the mandible in various two-dimensional multiplanar and three-dimensional reformations using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). METHODS: The images were 12-bit DICOM files acquired with a 10cm field of view and voxel resolution of 0.4mm. Two-dimensional multiplanar reformatted reconstructions included coronal, "panoramic" (variable thickness), and serial cross-sections. Three-dimensional reconstructions included surface renderings. Images were presented to referring oral and maxillofacial surgeons in "real time" immediately after acquisition. RESULTS: The features of mandibular osteomyelitis seen on CBCT included: a peripheral sclerotic rim, cortical layering (involucrum), central loss of trabecular pattern with internal round radiolucent resorptive tracts, minimal jaw expansion, and reduction of the alveolar cortex. Sequestra were occasionally evident. The history and presentation of each case on CBCT were consistent with osteomyelitis of the mandible; however, the clinical differential diagnosis in each case had included malignancy. The definitive diagnosis was confirmed by histological examination of biopsy specimens. Two of the three cases were patients who had been treated with bisphosphonates. CONCLUSION: CBCT facilitated comprehensive and dynamic imaging of the jaws based on surgical consultation, rather than inflexible imaging protocols. CBCT images guided operative planning.

New innovations in craniomaxillofacial fixation: the 2.0 lock system.

Rigid internal fixation with plates and screws is now standard for the treatment of fractures, osteotomies and reconstruction of the craniomaxillofacial skeleton. The latest innovations are self-drilling, self-tapping screws and locking miniplates. These screws offer the prospect of less instrumentation and faster application. Preclinical testing has shown them to be substantially more retentive in cancellous bone, a significant advance in cancellous block bone grafting. Locking 2.0 miniplates utilize double threaded screws which both lock to the bone and the plate creating a mini-internal fixator. This results in a more rigid construct with less distortion of the fracture or osteotomy, screws which do not loosen and less interference with bone circulation since the plate is not pressed tightly against the bone. Locking miniplates are designed for midface application in the repair of fractures, osteotomies and defects. Three configurations in a variety of shapes and lengths are available for mandibular surgery. The thinner and medium varieties are useful in transoral plating of fractures utilizing the Champy technique. The heavier, longer variety are used in unilateral edentulous fractures in the symphysis and parasymphysis as well as an aid to tumor resection and reconstruction with both free and vascularized grafts. They are not designed to replace the heavier 2.4 locking reconstruction plates designed for complex fractures or extensive reconstructions.

Principle and stability of locking plates.

A new internal Mini-Locking-System was tested compared with conventional 2.0 mm Miniplates. Standardised osteotomies in the angular region of 16 human cadaver mandibles were fixed with a 6-hole-plate at the oblique line. Osteosynthesis and stability of fixation was proofed in a three-dimensional in-vitro-model in which functional load was simulated. Comparison of the different osteosynthesis techniques showed that in the case of Miniplate fixation torsion and gapping of the bone fragments occurred following plate application and screw tightening when the plates were pressed onto the bone, so last incongruences between bone surface and plate were transferred to the mobile bone fragments resulting in more extended gaps and torsion. This was only observed to a much lesser extent with the Mini-Locking-System due to the fixation principle avoiding pressure to the bone. During functional loading the Mini-Locking-System showed also a significant higher stability in comparison to conventional Miniplates. Due to the fixation method imitating the principles of a fixateur the screws form together with the plate and the cortical bone a frame construction. Loading forces are transmitted without the need of plate friction directly from bone over the screws to the plate resulting in higher stability.

The use of risdon cables in pediatric maxillofacial trauma: a technique revisited.

Although less common than adult fractures, fractures of the pediatric maxillofacial skeleton present unique challenges. Different considerations including variations of anatomy including tooth buds, dental variations, as well as considerations for future growth must be addressed. When traditional techniques to treat adult fractures are applied for securing intermaxillary fixation (IMF) such as arch bars, difficulty arises because the primary teeth are shorter and conventional arch bar techniques may slip off intra or postoperatively. We present a technique to achieve both IMF as well as interdental stability using a Risdon cable. Although this technique is not new, we present it as our preferred method for treating pediatric fractures of the facial skeleton where IMF must be accomplished.

Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this article is to review a new pathologic entity named bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ). RECENT FINDINGS: BRONJ was observed and first reported in 2001-2002 when clinicians noticed cases of refractory osteomyelitis after simple dental procedures such as dental extractions in patients who had received bisphosphonate therapy. The condition was initially seen in patients who received i.v. bisphosphonates for malignancies such as multiple myeloma and metastatic breast cancer. However, with the use of bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporosis, BRONJ is seen in patients without a cancer diagnosis. SUMMARY: The incidence of BRONJ remains unclear. Treatment recommendations based on sound scientific data are sparse. The management of BRONJ remains a difficult and controversial situation that continues to challenge the clinician.

Failed Fixation in Atrophic Mandibular Fractures: The Case against Miniplates.

Despite advances in the treatment of the fractured atrophic edentulous mandible, treatment continues to be difficult. Patient management is more complicated due to patients often being elderly with more complex medical problems. Rigid internal fixation has greatly improved outcomes with shorter treatment times, yet a consensus has yet to be reached regarding which method yields the most predictable results. Options include using small miniplates to larger reconstruction plates. Although each method has advantages, we present our experience with retreatment of failed miniplate fixation using load-bearing reconstruction plates of fractured atrophic edentulous mandibles.

Management of comminuted fractures of the mandible.

Comminuted fractures of the mandible are unusual but not rare. They are complex injuries with a high complication rate. Gunshot wounds are a frequent cause. Traditional management with closed techniques is noted for good long-term results, but may involve an extended period of treatment. Treatment with open reduction and rigid internal fixation significantly shortens the course of treatment and simplifies the convalescence.

Contemporary management of infected mandibular fractures.

The treatment of infected mandibular fractures has advanced rather dramatically over the past 50 years. Immobilization with maxillomandibular fixation and/or splints, removal of diseased teeth in the fracture line, external fixation, use of antibiotics, debridement, and rigid internal fixation has played a role in management. Perhaps the most important advance was the realization that infected fractures also result from moving fragments and nonvital bone, not just bacteria. Controlling movement and eliminating the dead bone allowed body defenses to also eliminate bacteria. The next logical step in the evolution of treatment was primary bone grafting of the resulting defect following application of rigid internal fixation and debridement of the dead bone. We offer our results with this treatment in 21 infected fractures, 20 of which achieved primary union.

Lag screw fixation of anterior mandibular fractures: a retrospective analysis of intraoperative and postoperative complications.

PURPOSE: To review, retrospectively, the outcomes of 102 patients who underwent lag screw technique fixation of fractures of the anterior mandible. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 102 consecutive, skeletally mature patients who have undergone open reduction internal fixation for fractures of the anterior mandible utilizing the lag screw technique were reviewed. All patients had a clinically mobile fracture between the mental foramina of the mandible. The patients were followed at usual postoperative intervals with shortest long-term follow-up of 2 months. Intraoperative and long-term postoperative outcomes including status of union, infection, and intraoperative surgical misadventure were recorded. RESULTS: Data from the 102 patients showed that there was 1 fixation failure due to inappropriate patient selection, 1 nonunion requiring bone grafting, 1 with infected screws but with union, 1 with an infected screw and delayed union treated conservatively, and 6 with broken drills from intraoperative surgical misadventures. CONCLUSIONS: Lag screw osteosynthesis of anterior mandibular fractures is a sensitive, facile, predictable, and relatively inexpensive method for internal fixation of indicated fractures. As with all methods of rigid internal fixation, most failures or complications are the result of operator judgment or technique.

The use of immediate bone grafting in reconstruction of clinically infected mandibular fractures: bone grafts in the presence of pus.

PURPOSE: Current approaches to the treatment of infected mandibular fractures include antibiotics, drainage, immobilization of the segments, and debridement followed by secondary bone grafting of residual defects once the infection is resolved and the wound healed. Over the past 30 years, the time from debridement to grafting has diminished from several months to a few weeks. We present our experience with a treatment model managing clinically infected fractures of the mandible with antibiotics, debridement, rigid internal fixation, and immediate autogenous bone grafting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, we present a series of 43 patients who demonstrated clinical/laboratory findings consistent with infection in one or more mandibular fractures (50 infected fractures). These patients underwent a combination of incision and drainage, fracture debridement, rigid internal fixation, and immediate bone grafting of the resulting defect in a single stage. Both transoral and transfacial approaches were used. RESULTS: Of the 50 fractures, 43 showed both resolution of infection and bony union of fractures with long-term follow-up of 2 months to 4 years. Four fractures developed recurrent infection but proved to have bony union and were successfully treated by hardware removal only. Three other patients were deemed failures with persistent infection, loss of graft, nonunion, and need for retreatment. Each of these patients was afflicted with underlying immunocompromise. CONCLUSIONS: Although careful patient selection is a must, immediate bone grafting of infected mandibular fractures, when used in conjunction with rigid internal fixation and appropriate intraoperative debridement, is an effective treatment modality which allows a single surgical procedure and dramatically shortens the course of treatment.