A portly 52yo male recently went through a mid-life crisis, taking up karate at the local dojo after watching a Bruce Lee re-run on daytime television. Unlucky for him, his face was faced with a flurry of kicks. He didn't lose consciousness. Fed up with the prospect of yet another mars bar milkshake meal, because thats all the pain he can tolerate, he comes to you. An OPG follows
A bit about mandibular fractures
- Unilateral fractures (40%) are almost as common as bilateral fractures (60%) - dogmatic teaching would have you believe that the mandible and base of skull form a ring, and just like the pelvic ring, fractures always come in 2's
- It is the most common facial fracture (50%)
- Osteomyelitis & Abscess are not uncommon in the missed fracture
And the other sites to look for mandibular fractures: