A European surgeon told me they only remove plates in Germany and only for residents to practice. It was strongly advised to me to leave them in. Same situation with plates elsewhere in the body. These things have very good long term data and are used in volume. While traces of titanium have been found around the body, there's no evidence that it causes problems. Most people can't even tell they have them until a screw comes loose. Removing them implies another invasive procedure.
