Journal of Clinical Case Reports

Bone Supported Arch Bars: A Boon or Curse in Condylar Fractures?

Abstract

Pallavi Srivastva, Vidhi C. Rathi, Rahul Kashyap and Gauri Bargoti*

Intermaxillary Fixation (IMF) is a standard component of the treatment of maxillary and mandibular fractures. Several techniques have been described, most of which involve the placement of wires around teeth. However, these approaches are limited in the setting of poor dentition or in patients who are partially edentulous, can be time consuming, and are associated with risks of mucosal, dental, and needle stick injuries. Bone supported devices such as bone supported arch bars have been described, but may be limited to minimally displaced and favourable fractures and do not exert a tension band effect. An alternative is the use of titanium arch bars fitted with eyelets for locking screw fixation directly to the maxilla and mandible. This device combines features of arch bars and bone supported devices, potentially yielding the advantages of both. This is a case report to convey our experience of bone supported arch bar on patient with reduced mouth opening and poor accessibility.