Role of fixation in posttraumatic nerve injury recovery in displaced mandibular angle fracture

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of different types of fixation in the enhancement of posttraumatic inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) recovery in displaced mandibular angle fracture and to establish. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty patients of displaced mandibular angle fracture were treated with preangulated plate and three-dimensional (3D) matrix plate in two groups and were observed during follow-up at 04,06 and 12 weeks along with other parameters. RESULTS: Fifteen patients were treated with preangulated plate and 15 patients with 3D matrix miniplate. There was early nerve recovery in Group A than Group B, with residual paresthesia 20% in Group A and 26.6% in Group B at the end of 12-week follow-up. CONCLUSION: The displaced mandibular angle fracture with posttraumatic IAN paresthesia treated with preangulated plate has shown evidence of early nerve recovery than those fractures were treated with matrix miniplate. The fracture fragments displaced more than 9 mm have shown poor nerve recovery in both groups.