Idiopathic fracture of atrophic jaw

Abstract

Objective: to discuss the surgical treatment of an idiopathic fracture of the atrophic mandible. Case report: elderly woman attended the emergency department of the Emergency and Trauma Hospital Dom Luiz Gonzaga Fernandes, in Campina Grande, Brazil. The patient reported pain on eating and inability to use her denture as painful symptoms in the right mandibular region with active fistula, without any records of facial trauma. Tomographic examination revealed an atrophic mandibular fracture with an impacted tooth in the region. The following procedures were performed: antibiotic therapy, surgical fixation using a 2.4mm pre-molded plate, shaped using a biomodel, and fistulectomy. Conclusion: Thus, to plan accordingly aiming to minimize the surgical time and its associate damage and the use of appropriate fixation systems capable of supporting the load on the compromised bone are essential to a successful treatment, specially with elderly patients due their general health condition and preexistent comorbities.