INION® compared with titanium osteosynthesis: a prospective investigation of the treatment of mandibular fractures

We prospectively studied two groups of 30 patients to assess the outcome of treatment of mandibular fractures with the biodegradable INION® system compared with osteosynthesis with titanium miniplates. The degree of occlusion, wound healing, and swelling, were noted preoperatively and at 1 week, 6 weeks, and 6 months postoperatively.All fractures healed uneventfully, both clinically and radiologically, and independently of the osteosynthesis used. We found no long-term disturbance of occlusion, but there were twice as many malocclusions in the INION® group at one week. We now use a 3–5 day period of postoperative elastic intermaxillary fixation (IMF) to prevent material deformities. Both groups developed problems with wound healing; with INION® adequate soft tissue closure combined with appropriate positioning of the plates prevented this. At 6 months a dense swelling developed in some patients in the INION® group as a result of biodegradation of the plates.INION® plates were biocompatible and strong enough to treat mandibular fractures.