Assessment of the Integrity of Adult Human Mandibular Angle

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the integrity of the adult human mandibular angle. The left hemimandibles of 24 human cadavers were selected and divided into three groups based upon remaining dental status. The height of the left mandibular body was measured. Hemimandibles were mounted in acrylic bone cement at the mandibular condyle. The left mounted hemimandibles were secured into an Instron 5565 mechanical unit and the occlusal plane was sequentially loaded until fracture of the mandibular bone occurred. Minimum, maximum, mean, and standard deviations for compressive force as well as displacement of the occlusal plane were derived and compared for descriptive statistics. The correlations between the gender, mandibular body height, and maximal load were examined. The mean mandibular heights among males and females were 22.44 mm and 17.53 mm, respectively. Results portrayed a significant correlation between gender and mandibular height. The mean maximal loads among males and females were 1,174.17 and 828.14 N, respectively. Results portrayed a statistically significant difference between males and females regarding maximum load as well as the height of the mandible ( p=0.0103 and p=0.0067, respectively). No statistically significant association between maximum load and dental status (presence/absence of molar teeth) was found ( p > 0.05). The maximal load of human mandibular angle was found to be higher than that of the heavily investigated polyurethane synthetic mandible replica. The average height of the mandibular body in males was found to be greater than that of females. Mandibular body height showed a direct correlation to maximal load of the hemimandibular angle. In maxillofacial research, biomechanical evaluations of mandibular angle fractures and plating techniques with human cadaveric bone should be considered alongside or in place of conventional synthetic polyurethane mandibles.