Supplemental Maxillomandibular Fixation with Miniplate Osteosynthesis

Monocortical miniplate fixation provides biomechanical fixation of mandibular fractures. The ability of this system to adequately fixate fractures clinically has not been fully accepted. We analyzed our use of supplemental maxillomandibular fixation with miniplate osteosynthesis during a 5-year period, in 287 patients with 499 mandible fractures. A retrospective, matched pairing of identical fractures fixated with identical plating schemes was carried out. Sixty-five pairs of patients undergoing intraoral monocortical plating were identified. Patients in group 1 were treated with supplemental maxillomandibular fixation after surgery, whereas patients in group 2 were treated without postoperative maxillomandibular fixation. The rate of major complications was 11% with supplemental maxillomandibular fixation and 9% without supplemental maxillomandibular fixation (p > 0.05). The total rate of complications was 17% with supplemental maxillomandibular fixation and 20% without supplemental maxillomandibular fixation (p > 0.05). No statistically significant outcome advantage could be attributed to the use of maxillomandibular fixation.