Surgical Vs Conservative Modalities InTreatment Of Condylar Fractures

Background: The mandibular condylar process fracture is thought to occur most frequently, with incidences ranging from 17.5% to 50%. The present study was conducted to compare surgical vs conservative modalities in treatment of condylar fractures. Materials & Methods:106 cases of condylar fractures of both genders were divided into 2 groups of 53 each. Group I patients underwent surgical treatment and group II patients underwent conservative treatment using arch bar. Clinical and radiological parameters were evaluated during the follow-up visits. The pain was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS). Results: Out of 106 patients, 60 were males and 46 were females. The maximal interincisal mouth opening (in mm) in group I and group II, pre- operatively was 6.5 and 9.4, at 2 weeks was 20.7 and 16.2, at 4 weeks was 23.2 and 20.8 and at 6 weeks was 26.4 and 22.4. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Protrusive movement pre- operatively was 1.2and 0.4, at 2 weeks was 2.4 and 1.2, at 4 weeks was 3.6 and 3.4 and at 6 weeks was 3.9 and 3.8 in group I and group II respectively. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Lateral movement pre- operatively was 1.6 and 2.1, at 2 weeks was 5.4 and 3.6, at 4 weeks was 8.2 and 6.4 and at 6 weeks was 10.9 and 7.9 in group I and group II respectively. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). The mean pain on VAS preoperatively was 4.3 and 5.6, at 1 day was 3.8 and 5.1, at 3 days was 2.5 and 4.7, at 1 week was 1.3 and 3.5 and at 2 weeks was 0.7 and 2.8 respectively. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated the benefits and advantages of surgical surgery over conservative management for condylar fractures with mild displacement.