title: [Treatment of mandibular angle fracture through intraoral and extraoral approach: a comparative study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the clinical effects of mandibular angle fracture surgery through intraoral and extraoral approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 2008 to December 2014, 46 patients with mandibular angle fracture were retrospectively recruited in this study. An intraoral approach was used in 22 cases as group 1 in whom the fractures were fixed by one titanium miniplate alone, the others through an extraoral approach as group 2 in whom the fractures were fixed by two plates. Intermaxillary traction was used in all patients for 3 weeks following the operation. The data was collected in MS Excel 2003 and further analyzed by SPSS13.0 software package.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The wound healing was in uneventful group 1, no complication occurred 3 weeks later. On the contrary, 5 cases with postoperative infection and 3 cases with temporary weakness of facial nerve were observed in the group 2. Three months later, postoperative panoramic radiographs showed mandible fractures healed well in group 1; while in group 2, three cases complained of unhealed fractures and unsatisfactory occlusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with extraoral approach to manage mandibular angle fracture with 2 miniplates, one miniplate through intraoral approach can provide better outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Affiliated Stomatology Hospital of Kunming Medical University. Kunming 650031, Yunnan Province, China. E-mail:245728398@qq.com.
authors.forename: Bo-Jun
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wei-Hong
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Biao
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D001860:Bone Plates; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D005154:Facial Nerve; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal; D006801:Humans; D008337:Mandibular Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014025:Titanium; D014143:Traction
chemical_list: D014025:Titanium