Electrical stimulation of mandibular osteotomies in rabbits.

The use of electrical stimulation to accelerate mandibular healing was studied in rabbits that had undergone bilateral mandibular slot osteotomies. Stimulation on the day of surgery and for 3 successive days thereafter (2 hours per day) produced accelerated healing as evaluated histologically 8 days after surgery. Stimulation during the entire postoperative period did not result in accelerated healing. Intermittent stimulation in the early postoperative period may be clinically useful for accelerating the healing of mandibular fractures.