Thesis (M Dent(MFOS))--University of Limpopo, 2010. / Introduction-Craniofacial reconstruction following trauma is different for each
individual as it highly depends on the nature and location of the patient’s injuries. The
mandible is a unique bone, which has a complex role in both esthetics of the face and
functional occlusion. Due to the prominent position of the lower jaw, mandibular
fractures are the most common fracture of the facial skeleton
Aim- The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and distribution of combination
fractures in the mandible among patients presenting at the University of Limpopo,
Medunsa Campus, department of Maxillofacial and Oral surgery. The nature and site of
injuries occurring in the mandible will be recorded, and correlated with the cause of
injury. The data should establish a preoperative idea of fractures that can be expected in
the mandible when associated with a particular type of injury, especially of the
combination type.
Materials and methods- The patient’s records and radiographs at the University of
Limpopo Medunsa Campus, Department of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery (MFOS)
were accessed. Patients with mandibular fractures who presented to the department over a
four-year period (ranging from January 2002 to December 2005) were included in this
study.
Results- There were 1755 patients treated for maxillofacial injuries during the period
2002 to 2005 (4 years). A total of 1222 (69.63%) patients sustained fractures to the
mandible. However 505 (41.33%) patients sustained combination fractures of the
mandible. This evidence statistically proves that there is a 41.33% chance of another
fracture occurring in a patient who has been diagnosed with a single fracture to the
mandible. Various etiological factors contributed to these mandibular fractures.
Interestingly the major contributing factor was found to be assault. This study confirms
the results that males are affected more than females. This study found the average male
to female ratio to be 8.18:1. The age distribution ranged from 2 years to 86 years. The
mean age was found to be 31.07 years with a standard deviation of 12.06 years. The
highest frequency was recorded between 20 to 29 years (42.77%) followed by 30 to 39
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years (24.36%). The sites of fractures varied with different combinations. The highest
number of fractures was recorded in the left angle (159) followed by the right
parasymphysis region (142). In the combination category however the left angle right
parasymphysis combination (70) showed the highest incidence of combination fractures
followed by left parasymphysis and right angle combination (47), right angle and left
body combination (37) and left angle and right body (36) combination fractures. The
incidence of sustaining a left angle and right parasymphysis combination fracture is
13.86%. A total of 92 (18.22%) condyles sustained fractures with various combinations.
Fifty fractures occurred on the left side while 42 occurred on the right side.
Conclusion- In conclusion this study has shown that there is a 41.33% chance of a
combination fracture occurring in a fractured mandible. These results are statistically
high given the fact that the mandible is a commonly injured bone. Therefore careful
evaluation of diagnostic radiographs is necessary since some fractures are not diagnosed
clinically. This can help improve treatment outcomes and reduce possible postoperative
complications.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ul/oai:ulspace.ul.ac.za:10386/409 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Singh, A.S. |
| Contributors | Bouckaert, M.M.R., Masureik, C., Mohamed, A. |
| Publisher | University of Limpopo ( Medunsa Campus) |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xiii, 70 leaves. |
| Relation | Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 6.0 |
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