The incidence of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw following tooth extraction in patients prescribed oral bisphosphonates.

Aims To determine the incidence of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients prescribed oral bisphosphonate medication following dental extraction in a dedicated clinic within the Department of Oral Surgery of King's College Hospital. The effect of factors such as sex, duration of therapy, medical comorbidities and site of extraction, which have previously been reported to significantly affect the risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw, was also examined.Materials and methods Data were gathered from the dental records of patients who had extractions over an eight-year period and were included in this retrospective study.

Relevance of Bisphosphonate Therapy in Osteoporosis and Cancer--No Cause for Alarm in Dentistry.

This report provides important background information on osteoporosis (OP) and bone complications of cancer for the dental team, and discusses why bisphosphonate (BP) therapy is vital for patients with the two conditions. It also addresses several questions, including in particular: 'Is withholding BP therapy the best way to prevent osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) occurrence?' Also,'Of the two, which is more important: ONJ or OP fracture prevention?' CPD/Clinical Relevance: BP therapy offers OP patients the promise of a fracture-free life and the prevention of fracture-related pain, disability, loss of qualify of life (QOL) and the shortening of life. Without BP therapy, the lifetime risk of fracture occurrence in OP patients is as high as 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men; whilst using it, the relative risk of ONJ occurrence is as low as between 1 in 10, 000 and 1 in 100, 000.