[Surgical versus non-surgical treatment of unilateral dislocated fractures of the lower mandibular condyle].

To compare open versus closed reduction of unilaterally dislocated low subcondylar fractures in adults, 101 consecutive patients were treated either by closed reduction with a median of four weeks of maxillomandibular fixation or by a median of six weeks of maxillomandibular fixation after surgical repositioning and transosseous wiring of the dislocated condylar fragment. No selection of patients was done for either treatment. Fifty-two patients were observed for a median of two years after treatment. Complications such as malocclusion, mandibular asymmetry, impaired masticatory function, and pain located to the affected joint or masticatory muscles were significantly more frequent in patients treated with closed reduction (39%) compared with those treated surgically (4%)(p = 0.005). Neither the degree of dislocation of the proximal fragment, concomitant mandibular fractures, nor the absence of posterior occlusal support seemed to influence the results.