Treating mandibular fractures with small titanium plates and screws reduces treatment cost

Purpose: The efficacy of treating mandibular fractures with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) using small titanium plates and monocortical screws is well established.  The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of small plates and screws results in a reduced treatment cost.

Patients and Methods: Consecutive subjects with mandibular fractures were randomly allocated to small plates (Champy) or large plates (AO). The primary predictor variable was plate size. The primary outcome was the total cost of treatment. Secondary outcomes included length of stay (LOS), operating room cost, hardware cost, LOS cost and cost of treating complications.

Results: A total of 127 consecutive subjects were enrolled in the study. Fifty-two subjects completed the required 6 week follow up and had data available for cost analysis. There was a significant reduction in total cost for subjects treated with small plates and monocortical screws for surgical procedures completed within 2 hours (P=0.02).

Conclusions:  The findings of this study suggest that the overall cost of treating mandibular fractures with ORIF is significantly reduced when small plates and monocortical screws are used.