Mechanical and microstructural properties of fixation systems used in oral and maxillofacial surgery

Objectives This paper aims to evaluate in vitro the mechanical and microstructural properties of internal fixation systems used in oral and maxillofacial surgeries. Materials and methods Four brands of internal fixation systems (screws and 4-hole straight plates) were selected and assigned to four groups: G1 Leibinger®, G2 Tóride®, G3 Engimplan®, and G4 Medartis®. The systems were submitted to Vickers hardness testing, metallographic and interstitial elements chemical composition analyses. Data were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey’s test for statistical analysis. Results Plates in groups 1, 2, and 3 showed similar microstructure and mechanical properties, different from those in G4 revealing larger grains. In all groups, the screws showed similar microstructure, with uniform arrangement and size of grains; the screws showed higher hardness values than those observed for the plates. Conclusions The results indicate that all materials tested are adequate for use in oral maxillofacial surgeries.