How to fix a broken jaw: Biomechanical determinants of complex jaw fracture and fixation.

Lower jaw (mandible) fractures are the most common fractures of the head in civilians and military personnel, disproportionately affecting minority groups, causing significant pain and suffering, and costing the US over $500 million a year in health care. The trauma to the mandible and its repair result in soft tissue dysfunction and bone healing problems that impact patient health and well-being. Multiple fixation devices and surgical approaches are currently used in the clinics for the treatment of complex jaw fractures, when the bone is broken in many sites. To date, we do not know which of these techniques recovers normal chewing function in humans and which results in faster and stronger healing. This project uses state-of-the-art in vivo experiments in humans and computer simulations to quantify the effects of fixation techniques on chewing behaviour, bone healing and interfragmentary movement. Techniques: In vivo chewing behaviour experiments: Jaw 3D joint kinematics, muscle EMG, bite force estimations. Musculoskeletal modelling; finite element analysis; muscle dissection and physiological cross sectional analysis; 3D reconstruction of Computed Tomography Scans and virtual animations.