Comparison of the Intra and Postoperative Outcomes between 3-D Plates versus 2.0 mm Miniplates in Displaced Mandibular Angle Fractures

Aim: This study aimed to compare intraoperative and postoperative outcomes by using Conventional 2mm Miniplate versus 3-D plates in management of Mandibular Angle Fractures.

Study Design: Randomized control trial.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS), Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad over 6 months.

Methodology: The study included a total of 60 patients having mandibular angle fractures randomly allocated into two groups. 30 of them were treated with 2mm conventional miniplates in group A and 30 cases were 3D plated in group B. Outcomes such as intraoperative time was measured in terms of minutes from the start of surgery till fixation using a stopwatch. Stability was assessed clinically and by postoperative radiographs. Mean and standard deviation was calculated for age duration of fracture and intraoperative time. Whereas frequency and percentage

were calculated for gender, occupation, type of displacement. A comparison of the said parameters was also done, subsequently. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS version 22.0.

Results: The average age of the patients was 29.50±6.24 years. There were 38(63.3%) male and 22(36.7%) female. Mean intraoperative time in terms of minutes was significantly low in group B than in group A [45.27±7.09 vs. 50.50±7.12; p=0.006]. The rate of stability was 100% in group B and 90% in group A, however, it was not statistically significant between groups (p=0.237).

Conclusion: The results of the current study showed good stability, less procedure time required with a 3-D plating system. It could be concluded by the findings that the 3-D plating system has advantages over conventional 2mm miniplates.