Background: The only mobile bone in the facial skeleton is the mandible, which is responsible for different functions as mastication. Mandibular fractures are one of the most common among maxillofacial fractures. The 3D V shaped plate is one of the newly designed plates for management of mandibular angle fracture.
Objective: to evaluate the efficacy of a 3D V-shaped miniplate versus two standard miniplates in treating mandibular angle fractures.
Materials and methods: 16 patients, who had a recent mandibular angle fracture, were assigned randomly and divided into two groups. Group A, consisting of 8 patients, underwent treatment using a 3D V-shaped plate, while group B, also consisting of 8 patients, underwent treatment using two conventional miniplates. Clinical follow-ups were conducted over twelve weeks to assess postoperative occlusion, mouth opening, and bite force. A radiographic evaluation was also conducted after six months to evaluate consolidation of bone and the mean bone density along the fracture line.
Results: Patients in both groups demonstrated satisfactory occlusion, mouth opening, and bone healing at the end of the follow-up intervals. There was no statistical significance between the two groups in terms of bite force, mouth opening and bone density.
Conclusion: 3D V-shaped plate can achieve satisfactory clinical and radiographic results as conventional miniplates. The 3D V-shaped plate offers the benefits of less operating time for reduction and fixation, as well as easier manipulation compared to conventional miniplates.
Keywords: Mandibular fracture, Osteosynthesis, 3D V-shaped plate, conventional miniplates.
Running title: V-shaped plate and conventional miniplates in angle fracture.