Biomechanical comparison of plating techniques for fractures of the mandibular condyle

Abstract

We compared the biomechanical behaviour of various rigid internal fixation techniques for treatment of fractures of the mandibular condylar process. Fifteen sheep hemimandibles were used to evaluate three bicortical plating techniques. A custom-made 3-point biomechanical test model was used for the samples. Each group was tested with compression forces by an Instron Lloyd LRX machine. The resistance to forces (N) that caused displacements of 1.75 and 3.50 mm were compared using the Instron software programme and displacement graphics. There were no significant differences among the three groups for displacements of 1.75 and 3.50 mm. Our study showed that the titanium miniadaptation plates, minicompression plates, and the absorbable miniplates did not differ significantly in their biomechanical behaviour. (C) 2006 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.