Introduction:

Pathological fractures of the mandible account for fewer than 2 % of all mandibular fractures and often affect elderly patients. In patients over 65 years of age, these fractures may present features that are different from those observed in the general population because of their association with multiple comorbidities.

Materials and methods:

In this paper, we present a retrospective study of a series of 15 cases of pathological fractures of the mandible. Only patients over 65 years old were included, and the following variables were collected: sex, age, etiology, localization, treatment and postoperative complications. Additionally, we conducted a literature review in PubMed on pathological fractures of the mandible.

Results:

The mean age was 72 years (range 65-85) and 67 % (n=10) were female patients. The most common etiology was medicine-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (40 %). The postoperative complication rate was 53 % (8/15). We identified 24 articles assessing pathological fractures of the mandible in our review of the literature. Only three articles included more than 10 patients. None of them related exclusively to elderly patients.

Conclusions:

In our series, the most frequently encountered etiology was medicine-related osteonecrosis of the jaws. These patients can be treated successfully following the same algorithms used in the general population, albeit the complication rate is high (53 %).

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