What is osteonecrosis or the jaw and what is its link to bisphosphonate use?
Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) results in delayed healing for more than 8 weeks of mouth ulcers with exposed bone. This is usually after a tooth extraction or an oral surgery involving cutting the gums. It may also occur with radiation treatments for cancer. Other risks for poor healing include chemotherapy, prednisone and poor oral hygiene. Slow healing in the mouth can also occur without any risk factors. In patients with cancer spread to the bones, high-dose intravenous bisphosphonates (doses every 3 weeks) are given to prevent the cancer from invading bone. In such cancer patients on very high-dose bisphosphonate therapy, a delay in dental healing of more than 8 weeks has been described in very few cases. In the controlled trials of osteoporosis patients treated with any of the bisphosphonates, we have not seen any risk of ONJ. Therefore, the risk for osteoporosis patients must be extremely low, perhaps less than 1 in 100,000 persons treated. You must also remember that persons not
Related Questions
- I have been taking alendronate (Fosamax®) for many years. Is there a test for osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) that I can take before having a tooth pulled?
- What is the relationship between bisphosphonate therapy and osteonecrosis of the jaw?
- I take an oral bisphosphonate. Am I at risk for osteonecrosis of the jaw?
