Page 147 - Open versus closed Mandibular condyle fractures

Notable in our study was the finding that the larger post-treatment volume of the fractured condyle, the better the masticatory performance. A smaller condylar volume could explain the differences in pain between men and women after condylar fractures. Nevertheless, the functional significance of this volume is debatable. Da Silva et al.20 found that changes in condylar volume did not correlate with joint space, indicating that there is no correlation between condylar volume and function. In contrast, Ahn et al.25 found a correlation between condylar volume and function, suggesting a relationship between decreased condylar volume and dysfunction.
In summary, a significant amount of resorption was seen after trauma in both affected and non-affected condyles in this study. However, there was no significant difference in condylar volume between the open and closed treatment methods. A larger condylar volume was associated with better chewing ability, and patient gender and MMO influenced post-treatment condylar volumes. Unfortunately, no further insight could be gained into morphology, joint space, or angulation/ shortening because of the small sample size and various aspects of the study design.
In the authors’ opinion, imaging may be helpful to stratify pathophysiological adaptations and can help us to improve our ability to provide individualized treatments for our patients.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank G. van de Steeg for his contribution to the development of the validated method for analysing the condylar volumes.
Cone beam computed tomography analysis
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