Introduction Pediatric fractures are rare when compared with fractures in the adult population and is estimated to occur in 5% of all maxillofacial trauma , morover, mandibular fractures are a common injury seen in pediatric maxillofacial trauma after the nasal bones, the mandible is the facial bone most often fractured in children . Approximately 40% of all pediatric fractures involve the mandible. Motor vehicle accidents are the most common cause of serious facial fractures in children1&14. In management of these fractures, the goal is to restore the underlying bony architecture to its pre-injury position in a stable fashion; with minimal aesthetic and functional impairment2. Disruption of the periosteal envelope of the mandibular body may have an unpredictable effect on growth. Thus, if intervention is required closed reduction is favored13. Closed reduction techniques with maxillomandibular fixation in young children can pose several concerns, including, temporomandibular joint function, patients’ cooperation, compliance and inadequate nutritional intake. Open reduction with rigid internal fixation (ORIF) of unstable mandibular fractures using mini-plates and screws are thought to have a negative effect on skeletal growth and un-erupted teeth and involve two-stage surgery because of the need for plate removal after complete healing3. Most fractures have been treated conservatively by labio-lingual splints fixated by circum-mandibular wiring is a relatively simple technique for mandibular fractures in children4.
