Guidelines for bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw

Abstract

Scope and purpose This guideline aimed to provide recommendations for the diagnosis of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw in both the oncology and osteoporosis patient populations, for dental and medical practitioners including dentists, oral surgeons, oral pathologists, general practitioners and internal medicine specialists. The recommendations are intended to address both prevention and treatment strategies. Methods A consensus-based guideline was developed by a multidisciplinary task force including representatives from national and international societies representing the disciplines of oral surgery, dentistry, oral pathology, oral medicine, endocrinology, rheumatology and oncology. The task force reviewed data collected for a systematic review and prepared discussion papers. The systematic review included searches of Medline, Embase and a manual search of the bibliographies of published articles. A draft guideline was circulated to all members of the task force as well as external experts, and their feedback incorporated into the final document. Recommendations The main recommendations are summarised in Table 1. The task force also recommended that a registry be maintained for all identified cases.

Dental risk factors for osteonecrosis of the jaws: a CONDOR case–control study

“…The presentation of lesions in this study largely confirms previous findings, 15,23,24 as in most patients they were single, relatively small, and longer than 8 weeks in duration. We note however that 15% of the cases had a documented duration of fewer than 8 weeks.…”