An international review of more than a decade's worth of research on osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) points to an increased risk for patients taking certain drugs for osteoporosis, anticancer drugs, or glucocorticoids; those undergoing dental surgery; and people with poor oral hygiene, chronic inflammation, diabetes, or ill-fitting dentures. The review authors published their findings in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (November 21, 2014).
A number of prevention strategies may help protect at-risk individuals, and treatments that are available or under study include the use of antibiotics, surgery, teriparatide, bone marrow stem cell transplantation, and laser therapy, they noted.
"Patients need to maintain good oral hygiene, especially if they are taking antiresorptive therapy in order to reduce their risk," stated lead author Aliya Khan, MD, from the divisions of endocrinology and metabolism and geriatrics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, in a press release.
