Spontaneous fracture of the mandibular genial tubercles. A case report

Fracture of the mandibular genial tubercles is an uncommon pathology affecting edentulous patients with severe maxillary atrophy. Usually occurs spontaneously which complicates the diagnosis. Their importance lies in the functional alterations, which occur as a consequence of the disinsertion of the genihyoid and genioglossus muscles. The treatment of fracture of the genial tubercles is controversial, including no surgical intervention, excision of the avulsed bone fragments, and muscular repositioning. There have been only 11 cases reported in the literature of this fracture, most of them spontaneous. We present a difficult diagnosis situation of spontaneous fracture of the genial tubercles in an 86-year-old edentulous female with a painful sublingual and submental hematoma and anterior cervical echimosis. Computerized Tomography should be made to confirm the diagnosis. Surgical treatment was not necessary, and follow-up at 6 months revealed complete symptomatic recovery, and full return of function.