Introduction: The treatment of condylar fractures can be surgical or orthopedic. Although evidence tilts towards open treatment, there are technical complications, such as facial nerve damage and associated tissues. Moreover, the conservative treatment leads to malocclusions including asymmetries anatomical and joint ankylosis. Complications may observe short or long term, temporary or permanent.

Objective: Show complications in 15 years of clinical experience in patients with condylar fractures regardless of treatment selected.

Methods: We evaluated the medical records of patients from January 1999 to December 2012, admitted with diagnosis of condylar fractures. Database included sociodemographic characteristics, complications in both treatments and association with its development over time. We classified complications in short or long term, temporary or permanent.

Results: A total of 123 patients with 161 condylar fractures. 25 patients had complications. From 48 surgical patients, facial nerve injury was the most frequent 26%, followed by hygromas and scars (13%). In orthopedic treatments the most frequent was impaired mandibular dynamics (22%), facial asymmetry (4%) and ankylosis (9%).

Conclusions: The reported complications are related directly with the selected treatment. The most common is the alteration of facial nerve. Our results showed short-term complications in open treatment and long-term in the conservative treatment.

Key words: condyle fractures; complications; neurological alterations; sequels