Patient compliance and mandible fractures: a prospective study

Factors contributing to non-union amongst dentate mandibular fractures treated by load-sharing miniplate osteosynthesis: a case-control study

The stability provided by load-sharing miniplate osteosynthesis (LSMO) in dentate mandibular fractures (DMF) is usually adequate for bony healing. Non-union following LSMO is an uncommon complication. We aimed to determine the incidence and identify contributing factors, if any, of non-union amongst DMFs that have undergone LSMO. This retrospective case-control study with an allocation ratio of 1:3 includes cases of non-union DMF following LSMO and controls with healed DMF following LSMO over a five-year period. Relevant sociodemographic data, mandibular fracture characteristics, and treatment variables were collected for both groups. Of the 381 patients who underwent LSMO for DMFs, 12 cases of non-union were identified. The control group included 36 patients with uncomplicated healing. A significant association was observed between non-union and teeth in the line of fracture, postoperative infections, and time from injury to LSMO. The odds ratio with chronic alcohol usage was 1.4. Vigilant follow up of patients with chronic alcohol use, those with teeth in the fracture line, and adherence to LSMO principles may help to minimise the non-union complication.

Risk Factors for Missed Follow-up Appointments among Facial Trauma Patients

A retrospective case-control study was performed to characterize the rate of missed follow-up appointments after facial trauma and identify associated risk factors.Follow-up appointments for facial trauma over a 3-month period at a single, safety net hospital were analyzed. Appointment-specific, sociodemographic, trauma, and management data were compared between cases (missed appointments) and controls (attended appointments). Univariate testing and multivariable logistic regression were employed.A total of 116 cases and 259 controls were identified, yielding a missed appointment rate of 30.9% (116/375). Missed appointments were significantly associated with initial clinic appointments compared to return visits (odds ratio [OR] 2.21 [1.38-3.54]), afternoon visits compared to morning (OR 3.14 [1.94-5.07]), lack of private health insurance (OR 2.91 [1.68-5.18]), and presence of midface fractures (OR 2.04 [1.28-3.27]). Missed appointments were negatively associated with mandible fractures (OR 0.56 [0.35-0.89]), surgical management (OR 0.48 [0.30-0.77]), and the presence of nonremovable hardware (OR 0.39 [0.23-0.64]). Upon multivariable logistic regression, missed appointments remained independently associated with afternoon visits (adjusted OR [aOR] 1.95 [1.12-3.4]), lack of private health insurance (aOR 2.73 [1.55-4.8]), and midface fractures (aOR 2.09 [1.21-3.59]).Nearly one-third of facial trauma patients missed follow-up appointments, with the greatest risk among those with afternoon appointments, lacking private health insurance, and with midface fractures.

Does smoking cessation affect postoperative healing following oral surgery among smokers? - a systematic review

BACKGROUND

It is well documented that smokers suffer increased risk of postoperative complications after medical surgery, for example delayed healing and increased risk of infection. It is also known that preoperative smoking cessation can reduce the risk of these complications. Because of this there are guidelines regarding preoperative smoking cessation in non-oral medical surgery. There are however no specific guidelines regarding oral surgical procedures, such as surgical extractions, dentoalveolar surgery, periodontal surgery, or dental implantation. Nevertheless, it is common that dentists and oral surgeons recommend smoking cessation pre to oral surgical procedures. The aim with this systematic review was to see if there are any evidence in the literature, supporting preoperative smoking cessation in oral surgical procedures.

METHODS

A systematic search of the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane was conducted to identify studies addressing the effect of preoperative smoking cessation in oral surgical procedures. Included publications were subjected to preidentified inclusion criterion. Six examiners performed the eligibility and quality assessment of relevant studies. Risk of bias was assessed using ROBINS-I and RoB 2. Certainty assessment was carried out using GRADE.

RESULTS

The initial search resulted in 2255 records, and after removal of 148 duplicates, 16 articles met an acceptable level of relevance. These were read in full text, whereof 12 articles were excluded, due to different intervention, outcome, or study design than stated in the review protocol. One study remained with moderate risk of bias and three were excluded due to high risk of bias.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review could not determine the effect of smoking cessation pre to oral surgical procedures, in smokers. This indicates lack of knowledge in the effects of smoking cessation. We also conclude a lack of knowledge in how to design smoking cessation in the most effective way.

Food Desert Residence Is Not Associated With Dietary Adherence or Complication Rates in Patients With Isolated Mandibular Fractures

BACKGROUND

Mandible fracture management requires postoperative dietary modifications to promote healing. Over 20 million Americans live in food deserts, low-income neighborhoods over one mile from a grocery store. The relationship between food desert residence (FDR) and adherence to postoperative dietary instructions remains unexplored.

PURPOSE

This study's purpose is to evaluate the relationships between FDR, known risk factors, dietary adherence, and complications among patients with isolated mandible fractures.

STUDY DESIGN, SETTING, SAMPLE

This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a level 1 trauma center and analyzed patients with mandible fractures between January 2015 and December 2020. Inclusion criteria included operative treatment of adult patients for mandible fractures; pregnant, incarcerated, and patients with incomplete data were excluded.

PREDICTOR VARIABLE

FDR was the predictor variable of interest. FDR (coded yes or no) was generated by converting patient addresses to census tract GeoIDs and comparing them to the US Department of Agriculture Food Access Research Atlas.

MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLES

The study examined two outcome variables: dietary adherence and postoperative complications. Dietary adherence was coded as adherent or nonadherent, indicating documented compliance with postoperative dietary modifications. Postoperative complications were coded as present or absent, reflecting infection, hardware failure, and mandible malunion or nonunion.

COVARIATES

The covariates analyzed included age, sex, ethnicity, mechanism of injury, medical and psychiatric comorbidities (including diagnoses such as diabetes, hypertension, and schizophrenia), and tobacco use.

ANALYSES

Relative risks (RRs) and multivariate logistic regression models were generated for both outcome variables. Two-tailed P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

During the study period, 143 patients had complete data allowing for FDR and dietary adherence determination, 124 of whom (86.7%) had complication data recorded. Of the cohort, 51/143 (35.7%) resided within a food desert, 30/143 (21.0%) exhibited dietary nonadherence, and 46/124 (37.1%) experienced complications. FDR was not associated with increased risk of dietary nonadherence (RR 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52 to 1.61, P = .76) or complications (RR 1.19, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.89; P = .46). On multivariate regression, dietary nonadherence was associated with increased complications (odds ratio 2.85, 95% CI 1.01 to 8.09, P = .049).

CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE

There was no association between FDR and dietary nonadherence or complications in mandible fracture patients. However, dietary nonadherence was associated with complications, highlighting the need for further research and intervention.

Complications of Mandibular Fracture Repair

Mandible fracture management has evolved dramatically. Therefore, the variety of surgical complications associated with mandibular fractures, and their incidences, have continued to change as well. This article aims to assess the most common and most concerning complications that can occur secondary to management of mandibular fractures by examining categories of complication types. This article also explores factors and techniques associated with reduced rates of complications as well as the management of complications.

Preoperative Prophylactic Antibiotics in Mandibular Fractures and Surgical Site Infection

BACKGROUND

Compared with other facial fractures, mandibular fractures have the highest rate of postsurgical site infection. There is strong evidence to suggest that postoperative antibiotics do not reduce rates of surgical site infections (SSIs) regardless of duration. However, there are conflicting data in the literature regarding the role of prophylactic preoperative antibiotics in reducing rates of SSIs. This study reviews the rate of infections in patients who underwent mandibular fracture repair who received a course of preoperative prophylactic antibiotics compared with those who received no or 1 dose of perioperative antibiotics.

METHODS

Adult patients who underwent mandibular fracture repair at Prisma Health Richland between 2014 and 2019 were included in the study. A retrospective cohort review was conducted to determine the rate of SSI, comparing 2 groups of patients who underwent mandibular fracture repair. Patients who received more than 1 dose of scheduled antibiotics before surgery were compared with those who did not receive any antibiotic treatment before surgery or received only a single dose of antibiotics within 1 hour of incision time (perioperative antibiotics). The primary outcome was the rate of SSI between the 2 groups of patients.

RESULTS

There were 183 patients who received more than 1 dose of scheduled antibiotics before surgery and 35 patients who received a single dose of perioperative antibiotics or did not receive any antibiotics. The rate of SSI was not significantly different in the preoperative prophylactic antibiotics group (29.3%) compared with the patients who received a single perioperative dose or no antibiotics (25.0%).

CONCLUSION

Extended regimens of preoperative prophylactic antibiotics beyond a single dose at time of surgery do not reduce SSIs after surgical repair in mandibular fractures.

Emergency versus semi-elective management of mandible fractures: a Maxillofacial Trainee Research Collaborative (MTReC) study

INTRODUCTION

Recent evidence suggests that acute emergency management of mandible fractures does not improve surgical outcomes yet is associated with increased financial burden. Current NHS policy advocating for increased adoption of day-case and semi-elective surgical procedures to reduce bed strain must be balanced with providing timely, effective treatment. Our research aims to determine patient groups currently managed via semi-elective admission and whether this can be extended to other groups to provide safe and effective management of mandible fractures.

METHODS

A multi-national trainee-led audit of mandibular fractures across 49 units was completed by the Maxillofacial Trainee Research Collaborative (MTReC). Each unit prospectively collected data on fractures on admission and at follow-up. Data collected included patient demographics, behaviour, health, injury, timing to intervention and surgical complications.

RESULTS

Data were collected on 947 mandibular fractures. Of the surgically managed patients, 649 (90%) were managed via acute emergency admission at the time of presentation, while 68 (10%) were managed semi-electively. Patient demographics, injury pattern and mechanism appeared to significantly affect timing of management, whereas patient behaviour, health status, timing of injury and presentation did not. Semi-elective management was associated with a significantly shorter inpatient duration (0.9 versus 1.9 days, p=0.000) with no differences in readmission, antibiotic usage or surgical complications (p=1.000, RR 1.030).

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrates the efficacy of planned admissions and semi-elective management of mandibular fractures. Simple mandibular fractures in compliant patients are suitable for semi-elective treatment. Holistic patient assessment and tailored surgical planning is crucial in determining admission modality to effectively manage mandibular trauma.

The impact of patient-related factors on complications when treating mandible fractures by load-sharing and load-bearing osteosynthesis

The decision about the choice of load-sharing (LS) or load-bearing (LB) osteosynthesis is determined by an interplay of fracture-related and patient-related factors. In some situations a similar fracture in two different patients may be treated successfully by either of these methods. Our aim was to identify preoperative patient-related factors that may assist in deciding which form of osteosynthesis is employed. All adult patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation of mandibular fractures (excluding condyle) between 1 October 2018 and 1 June 2021 were retrospectively identified. The odds of developing postoperative complications and requiring a return to theatre (RTT) were calculated for each method of fixation together with the following patient factors: smoking, excess alcohol, substance misuse, and severe mental health issues. Of 337 fractures treated using LS principles, 27 (8%) developed complications, of which 20 (6%) required a RTT for repeat osteosynthesis. Of 74 fractures treated using LB principles, seven (10%) developed complications and two (3%) required a RTT for repeat osteosynthesis. The only patient factor that had statistically significant increased odds of a complication requiring RTT was LS osteosynthesis in patients who admitted drinking excess alcohol (OR = 7.83, p = 0.00, 95% CI = 3.13 to 19.60). Complications when treating mandibular fractures are rarely reported in the literature, and lack standardisation in their clinical significance. Figures generally represent overall numbers of patients, whereas the number of individual fractures treated is more accurate. In our study complications occurred in 8% of treated fractures and 10% of patients. The RTT rate was 7% of patients, which compares favourably with a recently stated standard of 10% of patients, as suggested by the Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) report.

Periodontal disease as a primary cause of surgical site infection in fractures of the mandible: is smoking a confounding variable?

Fractures of the mandible are common in contemporary oral and maxillofacial practice. Wound infection is the most common complication after open reduction and internal fixation, and the management of these is complex and costly in terms of morbidity to the patient, and in fiscal terms. Whilst numerous epidemiological studies implicate smoking, alcohol, drug use, and adverse behaviour, as well as fracture complexity and diabetes, as important risk factors, the role of periodontal disease is only occasionally mentioned and not formally investigated. The aim of this study therefore was to assess the presence of periodontal disease and its severity according to the 2018 EFP/AAP periodontitis case classification in patients with fractured mandibles who presented to a single level 1 trauma centre, and to look for a possible association with surgical site infection. A total of 305 patients were assessed retrospectively following open reduction and internal fixation via transoral incisions with load-sharing osteosynthesis. The postoperative infection rate was 22.95%. Multivariate and multiple logistic regression revealed that there was a strong association between periodontal staging and postoperative surgical site infection. Crucially, the study predicts that patients with severe periodontal disease (periodontal stage III and IV) are over seven times more likely to develop a wound infection than disease-negative individuals. This has implications for risk adjustment, prognostication, treatment planning, and postoperative care. Surprisingly in this study, cigarette smoking, an established risk factor in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease, did not achieve statistical significance, potentially conflicting with the established literature.

Comprehensive analysis of patients with failure of mandibular hardware

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the study was to characterize patients who had failure of mandibular hardware (FMH).

STUDY DESIGN

This retrospective cohort study consisted of patients with mandible fractures (MFs) that required surgical intervention from 2012 to 2020. Patients were included when mandibular hardware failed. Descriptive variables were collected.

RESULTS

During the study period, 57 patients (47 male, average age 38.7 years) met the inclusion criteria. Incidence of FMH was 7.4%. Most patients were African American (n = 45, 78.9%) with American Society of Anesthesiologists classification II (n = 40, 70.2%). Tobacco use (n = 31, 54.4%) and/or alcohol (n = 33, 57.9%). The most common etiology was assault (n = 28, 49.1%). The most common location was the angle of the mandible. Most mandibles had fracture at 1 location (n = 31, 54.4%) and a tooth was involved in the fracture line (n = 44, 77.2%). More than half of patients were treated with transoral surgical approach (n = 35, 61.4%). The majority of patients received preoperative antibiotics (n = 51, 89.4%). Patients had varying levels of compliance with postoperative care, and most were not compliant. Infection (n = 45) was the most common presentation of FMH.

CONCLUSION

High American Society of Anesthesiologists score, smoking, excessive alcohol use, parafunctional habits, and compliance with postoperative instructions may affect surgical outcome.

Potentially modifiable patient factors in mandible fracture complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The mandible is the most common bone to develop complications following treatment of facial fractures. This is due to a complex interaction of both fracture specific and patient factors. Our aim was to identify those patient factors, with a specific focus on those that may be potentially modifiable to reduce the incidence of complications. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology to identify patient factors ascribed to an increased risk of complications following the treatment of mandibular fracture. These were divided into non- modifiable and potentially modifiable factors. A meta-analysis was performed to weight those factors for which statistical analysis had been performed. Twenty-two pertinent papers were identified, of which eight described non-modifiable and seven potentially modifiable factors. The most common potentially modifiable factor identified was smoking. Meta-analysis established that tobacco smoking demonstrated an increased risk of complications in three studies (Odds Ratio: 4.04 - 8.09). Division of patient factors into those that are potentially modifiable and those that are not will enable clinicians to focus on those in which change within the immediate postoperative period can be instigated. This includes smoking cessation assistance, education as to the need for a soft diet, and facilitating postoperative clinic attendance. It also enables stratification of risk in terms of consent, and choice of treatment. Further research should use standardised terminology, particularly in stopping the use of generalisable terms such as patient compliance and instead describing its individual components.

Return to normal diet following mandibular fractures - how long is long enough?

Mandibular fractures are a common injury managed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Current open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) treatment strategies are based on Champy's ideal line of osteosynthesis with the use of miniplate and load-sharing fixation techniques. Postoperative instructions for the duration of a soft diet have varied. This prospective, randomised study reviewed the outcomes of a patient led return to diet at 2 weeks and 4 weeks compared with 6 weeks (control group) following an ORIF of mandibular fractures. There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between a graduated return to diet at 2, 4, or 6 weeks following an ORIF of the mandible, nor was there a difference in the quality of life during the postoperative period. Smoking has a notable risk factor for complications. The findings of this study suggest that strict adherence to a softened diet may not be necessary, and that patients identified at being of low risk of complications may be able to return to a normal diet from as early as two weeks.