Utilization of Panoramic Radiographs to Evaluate Short‐Term Complications of Mandibular Fracture Repair

Abstract

Detection of complications after mandibular fracture repair is generally based on the clinical examination. However, postoperative evaluation of the patient often includes imaging of the repaired mandible. At our institution, the majority of patients with mandibular fracture have had at least one panoramic mandible radiograph taken postoperatively. The purpose of this study was to assess whether these radiographic studies contributed to detection of complications and thereby had an impact on the clinical course of the patient. Retrospective review. The available medical records over a 5-and-a-half-year period of all patients who were treated at our institution for a fractured mandible were reviewed. Patients included in the study were those who were followed for at least 2 months and two postoperative visits. Our series of 289 patients included 25 patients with complications. Of these patients, 24 had postoperative panoramic radiographs. All of the complications were discovered based on history and physical examination. In six of the patients with complications, the panoramic radiograph was suspicious for a complication. There were five false-positive studies of the 240 postoperative studies performed in patients without complications. No complications were diagnosed based on radiography. After surgical treatment of mandibular fractures, panoramic radiographs add little to the physical examination and history toward the detection of complications. We believe that panoramic radiographs need not be used routinely, but may be reserved for patients who have complaints or physical findings suggestive of complications.