Managing maxillary-mandibular trauma: general principles and a dentist’s perspective

As a specialist in veterinary dentistry and head of a referral dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery department I see a large number of cases of maxillary and mandibular trauma. We use the full range of non-invasive and invasive techniques from external support using a muzzle to internal rigid fixation using patient specific 3D printed Titanium plates.

In this lecture I will review some of the principles of jaw fracture fixation, discuss how teeth involved in a jaw fracture should be treated and consider some of the more commonly used non-invasive techniques that are available for jaw fracture fixation in both dogs and cats.

Causes

The majority of jaw fractures are traumatic in origin. Road traffic accidents being the predominant cause. High rise syndrome is associated with jaw fractures in cats and “big dog, little dog” injuries the commonest cause of jaw fracture in puppies. Pathological fractures associated with advanced periodontal disease is a common cause of jaw fractures in small breed dogs. Iatrogenic mandibular fracture is a recognised complication associated with tooth extraction, especially mandibular canine extraction in cats and small breed dogs. [...]