A Retrospective Study of Condylar Fracture Management in a Tertiary Care Hospital-A 10-Year Experience

Introduction Since the advent of rigid fixation, there has been a paradigm shift in the management of condylar fractures from closed treatment options to open reduction and rigid internal fixation. Materials and Method Sixty-eight cases of condylar fractures reporting to Vydehi Institute of Dental Sciences, Bangalore, between 2009 and 2018 were reviewed in terms of age, sex, type of fracture, position of the mandibular third molar and the treatment rendered. Results The majority of the patients were males (60). There was an involvement of the right side in 34, left in 21 and bilateral involvement in 13 cases. Forty-three of the fractures were subcondylar, and 25 were intracapsular. Significantly in most cases, the mandibular third molar was either fully erupted (42) or missing (12). Sixty-one cases were subjected to surgical management including 49 cases of rigid internal fixation, and 12 of the intracapsular fractures had the condylar stump/segment removed. Only seven cases were not treated surgically. Most of the cases (44) were in the age group of 21-40, 12 were in the age group of 41-60, 9 were in the age group of 1-20, and 3 patients were above 60. Conclusion Condylar fractures more often do not require surgical intervention, and their incidence is more likely to occur when the third molar is either fully erupted or missing.