Broken Jaw
- Broken Jaw Overview
- Broken Jaw Causes
- Broken Jaw Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
- Broken Jaw Treatment
- Self-Care at Home
- Medical Treatment
- Next Steps
- Follow-up
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Broken Jaw Overview
A broken jaw (or mandibular fracture) is a common facial injury. Only the nose is broken more frequently. A broken jaw is the tenth most common fractured bone in the human body. Fractures (these are breaks in the bone) are generally the result of a direct force or trauma to the jawbone.
- The jawbone, or mandible, is the largest and main bone of the lower part of the face. The chief areas of the mandible bone are the body (chin out to the jaw angle) and the 2 upward branches, called the rami.
- Men are about 3 times more likely than women to sustain a broken jaw. Those aged 20-29 years are the most common group affected.
Next: Broken Jaw Causes »
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Broken Jaw
CT Scan Introduction
History
CT was discovered independently by a British engineer named Sir Godfrey Hounsfield and Dr. Alan Cormack. It has become a mainstay for diagnosing medical diseases. For their work, Hounsfield and Cormack were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in 1979.
CT scanners first began to be installed in 1974. Currently, 6,000 scanners are in use in the United States. Because of advances in computer technology, CT scanners have vastly improved patient comfort because they are now much faster. These improvements have also led to higher-resolution images, which improve the diagnostic capabilities of the test. For example, the CT scan can show doctors small nodules or tumors, which they cannot see on an x-ray.
Introduction
- CT or CAT scans are special x-ray tests that produce cross-sectional images of the body using x-rays and a computer. These images allow the radiologist, a medical doctor who speci...
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Facial Trauma, Mandibular Fractures »
The first description of mandible fractures was as early as 1650 BC, when an Egyptian papyrus described the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of mandible fractures.
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