Bilateral Body of Mandible Fracture in an Oral Submucous Fibrosis Patient: Treatment Modifications.
Oral submucous fibrosis is a severely debilitating oral premalignant condition characterized by restricted mouth opening secondary to formation of fibrous bands due to
deposition of collagen in the submucosal connective tissue and fibrosis of the lamina propria.
In severe cases the oral opening is less than 15 mm and presents difficulty in oral hygiene care
and dental care.
Trismus and decreased laxity of buccal soft tissues make these patients poor
candidates for any dental treatment and often present with multiple decayed teeth and periodontal problems. Fracture management in these patients is often challenging. The present case
reported with a bilateral compound fracture of mandible due to a road traffic accident. Open
reduction and internal fixation was done. The trismus due to oral submucous fibrosis in the patient needed certain treatment modifications which have been reported. Online search for “jaw
fracture management in oral submucous fibrosis patients” yielded no results. This paper thus
seems to be the first account on the management of such patients in English literature.
Oral submucous fibrosis is a premalignant condition widely prevalent among
areca nut and tobacco chewing population characterized by formation of dense avascular collagenous deposits within the submucosal layers in the connective tissues. Continual habit leads
to a relentless progression and significant morbidity and mortality. In severe cases progressive
fibrosis results in severely restricted mouth opening and a high risk of squamous cell carcinoma
development.
Dent Open J. 2017; 4(1): 7-9. doi: 10.17140/DOJ-4-132
