Osteonecrosis of the jaw unrelated to medication or radiotherapy.

Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is an increasingly common condition primarily due to the rise of medication related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) and osteoradionecrosis (ORN). Apart from MRONJ and ORN there remains a wide and varied range of rare causes and diseases that can lead to a clinical presentation of ONJ. This article aims to highlight alternatives causes of jaw necrosis following review of the literature to aid diagnosis and treatment planning for dental and head and neck specialities.

Surgical management of macroglossia secondary to amyloidosis.

The authors report a case of amyloidosis-induced macroglossia treated with surgical reduction of the tongue using a keyhole to inverted T method with particular emphasis on the postoperative sequelae. Significant tongue swelling persisted for longer than anticipated requiring tracheostomy to remain in situ for 14 days.

Prophylactic use of pentoxifylline and tocopherol in patients who require dental extractions after radiotherapy for cancer of the head and neck.

Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) is a complication seen intermittently in patients who have had radiotherapy to the head and neck, and results of treatment with pentoxifylline and tocopherol (PVe) have been encouraging. As a consequence, some argue that this should be used prophylactically to lower the risk of ORN after dental extractions in this group. We retrospectively analysed data on 390 dental extractions in 82 patients who had had radiotherapy for cancer of the head and neck.

Use of pentoxifylline and tocopherol in the management of osteoradionecrosis.

Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) is a complication of radiotherapy, and is difficult to manage once established. However, its pathogenesis has been reinvestigated, and it is now thought to be potentially amenable to treatment with pentoxifylline and tocopherol (vitamin E). We made a retrospective analysis of 62 patients with established ORN who were treated in this way.