title: Conservative treatment of comminuted mandibular fracture involving maxillomandibular fixation with miniplates.
abstract: Bars and steel wires are the most commonly used methods to achieve maxillomandibular fixation, although there are numerous alternatives described for this same purpose. In cases of edentulous candidates for the conservative treatment of facial fractures, none of the conventional methods can be instituted for maxillomandibular fixation. Fixation in such cases is achieved with the aid of the total dentures of the patient or the confection of splints, but these methods lead to eating and oral hygiene problems. This article reports the case of an edentulous patient with a comminuted mandible fracture treated with a rarely described technique in which intermaxillary fixation was achieved with titanium miniplates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Pernambuco University, São Paulo, Brazil. auremir@globo.com
authors.forename: Auremir Rocha
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: Marcelo Fernando
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: do Amaral
authors.forename: Thiago
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: de Santana Santos
authors.forename: Lucas Alexandre
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: de Morais Santos
authors.forename: Carlos Augusto Pereira
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: do Lago
authors.forename: José Rodrigues Laureano
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Filho
mesh_terms: D001860:Bone Plates; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D018460:Fractures, Comminuted / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D019248:Jaw Fixation Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008337:Mandibular Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery