Surgical versus conservative treatment of unilateral condylar process fractures: clinical and radiographic evaluation of 80 patients.

Treatment results of 26 surgically and 54 conservatively treated unilateral condylar process fractures were investigated by standardized clinical examination and by evaluation of computer-simulated graphic presentations of posteroanterior (PA) radiographs of the mandible. The radiographic evaluation compared the relation of actual reduction of the condylar process fractures with ideally reduced fractures produced on the computer. Using clinical parameters (maximal mouth opening, deviation, protrusion), no statistical differences between surgically and conservatively treated fractures were found. However, the radiographic examinations showed a statistically better position of the surgically reduced condylar process fractures.