Subcondylar Fractures: Conservative Vs Operative Approach

The management of condylar and sub-condylar fractures has been a subject of debate for many years. These fractures can be treated by conservative or operative methods. There is no general consensus about what the best treatment is for various fracture patterns. In the past most of these fractures were treated by conservative approach. Recently, the trend is shifting to the operative management of the sub-condylar fractures. A prospective study was done for conservative and operative treatment options in the management patients of mandibular sub-condylar fractures from December 2019 to December 2022 in the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, BJMC, Ahmedabad. A total of sixteen patients with unilateral sub-condylar fractures were included in this study. Eight patients underwent open reduction andinternal fixation by retromandibular approach for subcondylar fracture and in other eight patients, the subcondylar fracture was treated conservatively. However, the associated fractures in addition to sub-condylar fractures in the study group were treated by open reduction and internal fixation. The patients were regularly followed and the results of conservative and operative treatment related to occlusion, mouth opening, pain, mouth deviation and the follow up period ranged from 0-6 months.