Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026
Less-Invasive Technique for Non-stabilized Mandibular Fracture in Mouse Models
Published on: September 27, 2024
The use of a bite fork to help mobilize the maxilla after downfracture during the Le Fort I osteotomy. A technical
Elio Hitoshi Shinohara1, Shajadi Carlos Pardo Kaba, Marcelo Martinson Ruiz
1Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Group, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Av. Albert Einstein, 627 Vicky and Joseph Safra Pavilion A1, office 119, 05652-900, Sao Paulo, Brazil, eliohs@einstein.br.
Introduction:
The Le Fort I osteotomy is indicated to reposition the maxilla in the surgical correction of dentofacial deformities. Although it is a known surgical step, like any surgical procedure, it can have complications and difficulties; among these, the initial mobility of the jaw is very common after completing all corticotomies.
Methods:
The authors present a technique in which the bite fork is used as an auxiliary tool in maxilla downfracture, especially in cases of maxillary impaction where vertical space is created on the walls of the corticotomy.
Findings:
As the bite fork acts as a scraper with a long leverage arm, an advantage would be the better distribution of forces along the corticotomy, minimizing the risk of bad fracture and facilitating maxillary downfracture movement.
