Condylar fractures of the mandible. III. positional changes of the chin.

Positional changes of the chin (symphysion = sy) following unilateral condylar fractures of the mandible were studied in 21 children and 20 adults by means of repeated radiographic examinations. On each occasion and for each individual the actual position of the sy was related to an estimated normal position. In those children in whom the remodeling processes in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) resulted in normal skeletal relation, the result of the subcondylar fractures seemed to be a deviation of the sy towards the nonfractured side. In cases of condylar head and neck fractures a deviation towards the fractured side frequently occurred. In four of the five children in whom normal skeletal relation in the TMJ was not obtained, the sy deviated towards the condylar fracture side. In the majority of the adulsts, a deviation towards the condylar fracture side occurred irrespective of the level of the condylar fracture.