Introduction: The aim of this report was to present a case of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in a 74-year-old male secondary to 2 mm miniplates fixation failure.
Method: The patient had a preoperative apnea/hypopnea index of 21 and was successfully treated by 2.4 mm reconstruction plate for bifocal mandibular fracture and thus treating OSA.
Results: At two years follow-up, the patient has been doing well with no signs and symptoms of OSA.
Discussion: Treatment of atrophic mandibular fractures can certainly be challenging. Elderly, infirm patients, unopposed muscle pull, diminished blood supply, bone inadequate qualitatively and quantitatively for osteosynthesis, and inadequate ridges for stable splints or prostheses all lead to treatment that is difficult and prone to failure. Bifocal fractures that involve the anterior dentate region of the mandible may cause the lingual displacement of the central proximal fragment. Therefore, they can epitomize an important risk for the upper airways.
Bilateral body fracture in an edentulous mandible as a cause of OSA has never been reported in the literature. Here, we present such a case in a 74-years-old male patient who had a preoperative apnea/hypopnea index of 21 following the failed fixation from the original operation.