Gingival Sulcus Incision for Zygomaticomaxillary Complex Fracture

Abstract

The usual surgical approaches for zygomaticomaxillary complex fracture are subciliary incision, transconjunctival incision, eyebrow incision, lateral canthal incision, coronal incision, preauricular incision, and superior gingivobuccal incision. In the intraoral approach, a horizontal mucoperiosteal incision is performed at the superior gingivobuccal region, and sometimes, includes the upper labial frenum. This may cause discomfort in the oral cavity because of postoperative scarring and shortening of the upper labial frenum. To avoid these complications, the authors performed a novel approach using gingival sulcus incision instead of oral mucosal incision to treat 5 zygomatic fractures. The authors evaluated the regression of the gingival interdental papillae, gingival swelling, and gingival perception at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after the operation. The regression of the gingival papillae and gingival swelling disappeared 3 months and 1 month after the operation, respectively. No paresthesia was observed in any of the cases. The gingival sulcus approach can lead to scarless results and contribute considerably to the aesthetic appearance of the oral cavity.