Evaluation of the relationship between radiomorphometric indicesobtained from cone beam computed tomography imaging of the mandible and mandibular angle fractures,

The aim of this study is to evaluate the correlation between the gonial angle, radiomorphometric indices, and the presence of third molar teeth as potential factors contributing to the occurrence of mandibular angle fractures (MAF). The study included a total of 55 patients (40 males and 15 females) without maxillofacial congenital deformities, comprising 20 patients with MAF and 35 patients without MAF. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were obtained at the time of admission, and DICOM images were analyzed three-dimensionally using Materialise Mimics 25.0.0.550 software. Statistical analyses were performed using t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, chi-square tests, and Fisher's exact chi-square tests. The median age of patients in the MAF group was significantly lower than that of the non-MAF group (p = 0.002), and MAF was found to be more prevalent in males (p = 0.030). No significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding anatomical measurements such as gonial angle, ramus height and width, or corpus height, length, and thickness. However, the presence of impacted third molars was more frequently observed in the MAF group, indicating a significant association with fracture occurrence (p = 0.019). Condylar fractures were more common in the non-MAF group, with no condylar fractures detected in the MAF group (p <0.001). While fractures resulting from falls were more prevalent in the non-MAF group (p = 0.013), no significant differences were found between the groups in terms of other trauma causes. Measurements on the right and left sides showed no significant differences between the groups in terms of gonial angle or other parameters. In this study, radiomorphometric measurements were performed after digital reduction of fracture fragments to minimize errors and obtain more accurate results. The absence of significant differences in gonial angle, ramus height, and corpus parameters suggests that future studies with larger sample sizes and the use of digital reduction techniques may contribute to validating these findings and optimizing treatment approaches.