Bicortical extraoral plating of mandibular fractures

The goal of bicortical fixation of mandibular fractures is to provide for undisturbed healing and immobility of fragments to facilitate primary bony union. This type of fixation should provide sufficient rigidity for fracture segments to resist any movement along the fracture line during normal function of the mandible. The decision of which technique to use for fixation of a particular mandible fracture depends on multiple factors, such as fracture location, favorability of fracture vectors, anatomic location of fractures, systemic health of the patient, timing of surgery, experience of the surgeon, age of the patient, and patient compliance. In this chapter, the authors discuss the indications and techniques of bicortical fixation of mandible fractures.