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Purpose The purpose of the study is to compare the surgical access and post-operative outcome of two intra-oral incisions used for approaching a mandibular body fracture. Methods This clinical trial involved 60 patients with mandibular body fractures who were randomly allocated to control and study groups. The fractures were approached using the routine vestibular incision in the control group and crevicular incision with vertical release in the study group. The effects of incision design on the post-surgical outcome variables like swelling, trismus, paresthesia, wound healing and gingival recession were statistically analysed with non-parametric tests by using SPSS 22.0 software. Comparison of continuous variables between the groups and time points was done using Mann Whitney test and Friedman test respectively. Chi-square test was used to compare proportions between groups. Dunn's test with Bonferroni correction was used for pair wise comparisons. Results The study group demonstrated favourable surgical outcome in the immediate postoperative phase as compared to the control group. The difference in mouth opening, swelling and neurosensory impairment between the two groups was found to be statistically significant ( p < 0.05). Conclusion Crevicular incision was found to be an ideal alternative to vestibular incision in achieving surgical access and fixation of mandibular body fractures with reduction in postoperative patient discomfort and better surgical outcome.

Objectives: Injuries to the maxillofacial region during contact sports is a well-known issue. Protective measures have been advised to prevent and reduce these problems. Awareness regarding the role of mouthguards in preventing temporomandibular joint (TMJ) injuries during contact sports, is limited. The aim of the present study was to assess awareness regarding the use of mouthguards during contact sports and incidence of TMJ injuries in sportspersons. Materials and Methods: Eighty-six individuals training in contact sports were enrolled in the present study based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria. A questionnaire and clinical examination were used to assess TMJ pain, clicking, deviation, mouth opening, and locking. Results: The percentage of sportspersons aware of various protective gears was 23.8%. The awareness of TMJ injuries following contact sports was 6.9%, and 70.3% of the sportspersons were estimated to wear mouthguards. Clinical assessment of sportspersons using mouthguards revealed pain in 18.6% and clicking in 17.4% of the study subjects. The incidence of TMJ pain and clicking in individuals who did not use mouthguards were 81.4% and 82.6%, respectively. Conclusion: Application of mouthguards can reduce the incidence of TMJ injuries in contact sports. They also contribute significantly to the overall dental health of the athletes, as well as improving their overall athletic performance and decreasing the likelihood of other types of oral and facial injuries.