Associate Professor of Maxillofacial Surgery, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, MobasherHospital, Hamedan, Iran
Abstract
A seven-year-old child sustained a severe avulsion injury to the left mandible leaving a 6 cm gap. An orthopedic pin alone was used for immobilization and stabilization. Radiographs of the mandible 2.5 years later showed complete osteogenesis and solid bone formation over the pin. The young age of the patient was definitely important in influencing this favorable result. The author’s experience in other non-traumatic patients using the same procedure has shown such bone formation. The source of osteogenesis is believed to be from mesenchymal cells of the soft tissue remaining in the gap. The theories pertaining to the source and mode of osteogenesis in this case are discussed.
