title: Mandibular fracture scoring system: for prediction of complications.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mandibular fractures are one of the most commonly encountered injuries in trauma clinics. Although several widely accepted classification systems exist, these are mostly region specific, differ in the classification criteria used, and are sometimes only correlated with specific treatment modalities, thereby making it impossible to uniformly and comprehensively document facial fracture patterns. In this study, we developed a modified scoring system for mandibular fractures and analyzed the relationship between scoring of fractures that were treated and the incidence of complications after surgical treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  To evaluate the suitability of the proposed scoring system, a prospective study on a series of 116 patients was performed. All the fractures were classified using the proposed scoring system. The scoring was based on clinical and radiological evaluation of each fracture. Patients were followed up postoperatively for presence of complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A good correlation between the proposed scoring system and the incidence of complications was detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This scoring system for mandibular fractures facilitates an objective and standardized assessment of the degree of severity of a fracture, thereby allowing for systematic evaluation of facial fracture outcomes, including assessment of complications. However, it is our understanding that a multicenter study should be performed before the effectiveness of the proposed classification can be clearly stated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College & Hospital, Alapakkam Main Road, Maduravoyal, Chennai 600095, Tamil Nadu, India. drmanodh@yahoo.com
authors.forename: D Prabhu
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Shankar
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Manodh
authors.forename: Pradeep
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Devadoss
authors.forename: Titus K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001860:Bone Plates; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000145:classification / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000209:etiology; D008335:Mandibular Condyle / Q000293:injuries; D008337:Mandibular Fractures / Q000145:classification* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D055815:Young Adult