ABSTRACT
There is a greater rate of non-union in fractures of the atrophic edentulous mandible. Achieving accurate reduction is difficult and patients are usually elderly, with reduced osteogenesis, blood supply, and atrophic bone, further compounding a favourable outcome. Questionnaires were sent to all members. All fracture locations of the edentulous mandible were reported, but the study then focused on fractures of the body and symphysis where the problem of non-union was most common. Older patients had more systemic health problems, thinner mandibles, and more postoperative systemic complications. Patients with more complex fractures were treated later after injury and for longer. Knowledge of osteosynthesis and fracture fixation principles with load sharing and load bearing plates has greatly increased since the 1980s. Most surgeons would agree that if a patient agrees to surgery, an open approach should be used. The question to consider is whether the open approach should be extra-oral rather than an intra-oral approach.
