Evaluation of stainless steel intermaxillary fixation screws in treatment of favorable mandibular fractures

الملخص EN

Background: Numerous methods have been described for achievement of Intermaxillary fixation in the treatment of fractures of facial skeleton.

Conventional methods like Erich arch bars and eyelet wires are currently the most common methods for achieving intermaxillary fixation (IMF), however, they have their own disadvantages.

Since 1989, IMF using intraoral self-tapping IMF screws has been introduced for treatment of mandibular fractures.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, advantages, disadvantages and potential complications associated with using of selftapping IMF screws in the treatment of mandibular fractures.

Material and Methods: Twenty patients with favorable mandibular fractures, attended to Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery unit, AL-yarmuk Teaching Hospital between November 2014 and October 2015, they were treated with IMF screws.

The parameters considered were duration of the procedure, perforations in the gloves, patient acceptance, oral hygiene, iatrogenic dental injuries, mouth opening, healing outcome, occlusal discrepancy and needle stick injuries during IMF.

Results: The patients included in this study were 20 (17 males and 3 females).

The extremes of age in this study ranged from 12 to 37 years.

Three patients had 2 fracture lines.

Assault was the most common cause of fractures.

The most common site of fracture was the body and parasymphysis regions.

Two screws (2.5%) from 80 screws became loosened.

One patient (5%) ended with malunion and malocclusion.

One patient (5%) developed infection at screw site.

Three patients (15%) developed screws soft tissue burying.

Conclusion: IMF screws considered to be a useful modality of treatment to establish maxillomandibular fixation.

It is safe, and time-sparing technique; however, it is not without limitations or potential consequences in which the surgeon must be aware of in order to provide safe and effective treatment.