THE HEALING OF MANDIBULAR FRACTURE WITHOUT INTERMAXILLARY FIXATION IN A LONG-TERM DISABLED BED PATIENT: REPORT OF A CASE

장기간 침대요양 장애환자에서 악간고정술 없이 치유된 하악 골절: 증례보고

Treatment of the mandibular fracture consists of reduction and fixation. Primary wire & Arch bar are perhaps the ideal method for intermaxillary fixation. But, daily feeding, swallowing, speech, and in some instances, respiration is difficult to maintain during the period of intermaxillary fixation, owing to muscle weakness, emotional disorder and poor oral hygiene in a position of the long-term bed disabled patient with multiple injuries. Therefore, Intermaxillary fixation is not applied in the disabled bed patient, the alternative methods must be obtained. In the case of the mandibular fracture, because of the absence of weight bearing, osseous union may eventually occur even without immobilization if the patient is maintained without wound infection on a controlled soft diet. For the purpose of the prevention of the wound infection, the establishment of an drainage on the oral lacerated wound is necessary for the removal of the hematoma & seroma in the fracture site. This is the report of a case that was managed conservatively without the intermaxillary fixation in the long-term disabled bed patient with a mandibular compound fracture.