Prognosis of teeth in the line of mandibular fracture: 5-year clinical and radiological follow-up.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to highlight our experience with the prognosis of teeth retained in the line of mandibular fracture after treatment of the fracture.

Patients And Methods: A prospective evaluation of 62 patients with 200 teeth in the line of mandibular fracture seen and treated at the Dental and Maxillofacial Clinic, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar south-south Nigeria between 2005 and 2009 was carried out. The focus was on 96 teeth in the line of mandibular fracture retained after reduction and immobilization of the fracture by closed reduction technique. The clinical and radiological follow-up period of patients ranged between six months and 3.5 years.

Results: Majority of the patients 33 (53.2%) were in their third decade of life. The age of patients' ranged, from seven to 48 years with a mean of 24 +/- 2.3 years, There were 48 (77.4%) males and 14 (22.5%) females giving a male-to-female ratio of 3.4:1. One hundred and four teeth (52%) out of the 200 were extracted during treatment of the fracture. Of the remaining 96 teeth, 25 (26.0%) were anterior teeth while 71 (73.9%) were posterior. Twenty-four (25.0%) of the teeth in the line of fracture developed complications. Of those teeth involved with complications 10 (41.7%) were incisors and canine while 14 (58.3%) premolars and molars. Hypersensitivity and discolouration were the predominant complications.

Conclusion: Appropriate case selection and thorough clinical and radiological assessment is required to reduce the rate of complications of teeth left in-situ in the mandibular fracture line after treatment. The various complications in this study were managed successfully.