Oral presentation background : The mandibular condyle fractures have stopped being a concern for the surgeon from the therapeutic point of view, since nowadays almost all of them are treated in a surgical way, taking into account the good results achieved. However, the intracapsular fractures that usually can go unnoticed without an accurate clinical examination and a rigorous imagenology are the ones that challenge the surgical team. If it was not because of the functional implications, such as shortening of the ramus, TMJ internal derangement or progressive pathologies like ankylosis; these fractures would still be treated in a conservative way.

Patients and methods : The present report shows the experience of Hospital Carlos Van Buren treating intracapsular fractures. A total of 24 patients were included from 1999 to 2013, accounting for 35 fractures.

Results : Sixteen were treated conservatively, whilst 9 were surgically. In the conservative group we observed facial asymmetry, mandibular asymmetry, mouth opening deviation and ramus shortening. However the best functional and aesthetic results were obtained in the surgical group.

Conclusions : Our experience shows that the best results in treating intracapsular fractures are achieved with surgical treatment.

Key words : intracapsular fractures; surgical treatment; ramus shortening; TMJ internal derangement