Management of Mandibular Angle Fractures: Investigating Outcomes of Transbuccal vs Traditional Approaches

Mandibular angle fractures are of the most common facial fractures and present with a variety of complexities and management strategies. They also have one of the highest rates of complications given the watershed area of vascularity and differential forces on the mandible at this location. A retrospective analysis over ten years at a single institution was performed yielding 134 cases of mandibular angle fractures. These cases were evaluated for mechanism, complexity, concomitant injuries, approach, use of interdental fixation, and plating strategy. We found that the lowest rate of complications were seen with non-displaced fractures treated with maxillomandibular fixation and simple fractures treated with geometric plates. Higher rates of complications were seen with open approach, reconstruction plates, Champy plates, and gunshot induced fractures.