Management of Mandibular Body Fracture in an Eighteen-Month Old Child - A Case Report

Abstract

With the advancement of the transportation system and improvement in road conditions, the number of high- velocity accidents has also increased. Almost all of these reported cases involve individuals who had travelled in vehicles without adhering to personal protection standards and with rash driving. Injuries to the facial region can be profoundly disturbing and particularly in children. Parents find it very distressing to see their child in pain with a disfigured or injured face. It is difficult to manage such crying & sometimes uncontrollable children. The most commonly injured facial bones are Nasal, Zygomatic and the Mandible. The incidence of facial bone fracture in children is uncommon, and we present a case report of an 18- month old child with a history of road traffic accident and swelling on the right side of the face. Intraoral examination shows limited mouth opening with submucosal ecchymosis in the right buccal mucosa and based on clinical and computed tomographic scan working diagnosis of fracture in the right body of the mandible was arrived. The child was surgically treated with the circum-mandibular wiring. After three weeks the splint was removed. The injury healed without complications in the post-operative period.