ReviewCureus2026
Risk Factors and Interventional Predictors for Postoperative Malunion and Nonunion in Adult Mandibular Fractures: A Scoping Review.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Mandibular fractures are one of the most commonly treated injuries in oral and maxillofacial surgery. While malocclusion has been well studied as a postoperative complication, malunion and nonunion remain comparatively unreported despite being significant complications associated with the healing of facial fractures. This scoping review aims to evaluate risk factors, predictors, surgical variables, and management strategies associated with postoperative malunion or nonunion in mandibular fractures. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched for English-language studies published between 2000 and 2025. Eligible studies included prospective and retrospective clinical investigations evaluating malunion and nonunion following surgical or nonsurgical management of mandibular fractures. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, case reports, pediatric studies, and non-English studies were excluded from this review. Extracted data included fracture location and complexity, treatment modality, fixation method, surgical approach, timing of intervention, and reported postoperative outcomes. Of 1,052 records initially identified, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. Across study designs, open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) was consistently associated with lower rates of malunion and nonunion compared with various closed reduction techniques, particularly in comminuted fractures. Delayed surgical intervention, most notably between 6 and 7 days from injury, was associated with increased rates of malunion and nonunion. Additional factors associated with increased complication rates included posterior mandibular fractures, fracture comminution, smoking and alcohol abuse, lack of patient education, and advanced patient age. In conclusion, available evidence suggests that timely ORIF with stable fixation constructs is associated with reduced rates of postoperative malunion/nonunion following mandibular fracture repair. Delayed intervention and inadequate postoperative education protocols are other risk factors and predictors that need to be considered to minimize potential complications.
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