Conservative and radical management of osteochondroma of mandibular condyle- a systematic review

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional outcomes of conservative and radical management of osteochondroma of mandibular condyle. Methods: All relevant full text articles available on PubMed and GoogleScholar between 2001 and 2015 were retrieved and examined. The data was tabulated and analyzed. Results: Of the 24 cases 14 were treated by condyloplasty, whereas 10 required total condylectomy. Twelve patients required orthognathic surgery of which 3 patients had transient mandibular weakness and 1 patient had transient inferior alveolar nerve anaesthesia complications. Follow-up period for all cases ranged between 3 months to 7 years. There was only one case of recurrence but the patient was not re-operated as she was symptom free. Conclusion: Mandibular condylar osteochondroma is thought to be a relatively rare lesion occurring in the facial skeleton. Gradual facial asymmetry over the years is the most striking feature. The treatment modality for osteochondroma of mandibular condyle could be conservative condylectomy or total condylectomy. Both the procedures are curative. Additional procedures like orthognathic surgery may be required in extensive tumours. The decision, however, depends on the tumour size and how much swing of mandible is required post-surgery for correction of asymmetry and occlusion.