• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.295-301
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• 2009

Recently, bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw(BONJ) is added to the list of diseases of the oromaxillofacial region. BONJ is defined as exposed bone in the jaw that does not heal within 8 weeks after identification, in a patient who has been received to bisphosphonates and has not taken radiation therapy to the craniofacial region. Bisphosphonates binded to bone mineral are concentrated in highly active remodeling site, reside in the skeleton for a long time, and do a role as powerful inhibitors of bone resorption. As the patients receiving bisphosphonates therapy grow in number, the patients of BONJ would go on increasing in Korea. We would like to present two patients who were suspected to BONJ, describe the outline of BONJ, and mention importance of our understanding about BONJ. BONJ is rare disease, but once it develops, its prognosis is very poor. Our adequate understanding of BONJ is necessary to prevent it and cope with it properly.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2016

The average life expectancy has been increased, so the proportion of elderly patients that visit to the dental clinic for prosthetic restoration has increased. Elderly patients have various chronic diseases. Recent trends show an increase of osteoporosis in elderly patients, and thus, the number of osteoporosis patients is expected to escalate. Currently, the most widely used drug for osteoporosis is bisphosphonate. However, osteonecrosis of the jaw has been reported as a side effect derived from longterm oral administration or injection treatment of the drug. Surgical dental treatment was the main cause of medication related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). As MRONJ is very difficult to cure, it is important to take preventive measures. Surgical operation may be needed for the mouth preparation before prosthetic restoration. For successful treatment, the dentist should have a full understanding of osteoporosis and show a continued interest toward this disease for careful management.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.39-40
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• 2009

Maxillary sinusitis is an infectious disease which can arise from odontogenic etiology and a maxillary osteomyelitis can spread into the sinus and consequently develop maxillary sinusitis. In this case report, a mid eighty's lady was diagnosed as BRONJ with maxillary sinusitis as a complication. The patient was managed successfully in collaboration with a endocrinologist. Through serial follow-up of serum CTX, we could decide the timing of surgical intervention.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.291-302
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• 2010

Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is a side effect of Bisphosphonates (BPs) use. These days, oral bisphosphonates are normally prescribed to treat osteoporosis. Intravenous BPs are used extensively to treat osteolytic bone lesions related to multiplemyeloma and bone metastasis of solid cancers, breast cancer or prostate cancer. As the prescription of BPs is universalized and the number of people treated with BPs is increasing, an accurate understanding and proper management of BRONJ are required. The aim of this study was to improve the clinicians' understanding of BRONJ by reviewing the literature. To achieve this, this paper introduces case reports as well as the current concept of BRONJ based on the 2009 updates by American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial (AAOMS) including the definition, epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of BRONJ.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2015

Loss of continuity of the mandible destroys the balance and symmetry of mandibular function, leading to altered mandibular movements and deviation of the residual fragment towards the resected side. Apart from deviation, other dysfunctions include difficulty in swallowing, speech, mandibular movements, mastication, and respiration are accompanied. In general, surgical reconstruction is considered first then proceeds to the prosthetic restorations. However, patients with systemic disease such as BRONJ (Bisphosphonate related osteonecrosis of the Jaw), surgical reconstruction may be limited. Thus, the prosthetic restoration remains as the only resort. Numerous prosthetic methods are employed to minimize deviation and to improve masticatory efficiency, function and esthetics. If a removable partial denture is the selected treatment modality, maximum stability of the partial denture base may be accomplished with a functional impression procedure by means of eliminating lateral and horizontal forces caused by the functional movements of the lips, cheeks and tongue. Also, Twin occlusion is used to obtain a favorable occlusal relationship and check support for esthetics. The purpose of this case report is to demonstrate how neutral zone impression technique and twin occlusion scheme were applied to restore a hemi-mandiblectomy patient with BRONJ syndrome to achieve satisfactory results in functional and esthetic aspects.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.53 no.10
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• pp.732-742
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• 2015

The objective of this study was to identify bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) awareness and experience level of patients by medical doctors who prescribes bisphosphonate being used, analyze dental examination referral reality and to utilize its result as basic education data for early diagnosis of BRONJ and its prevention. The study was carried out through a self-administered questionnaire distributed among a sample 192 residents and specialists. They belonged to family medicine, internal medicine and orthopedics of 6 tertiary medical centers located in Seoul. The survey consisted of 22 questions; general characteristics, bisphosphonate therapy, awareness of BRONJ, implementation level of dental examination referral. Among 192 medical doctorss, 78.1% (n=150) showed awareness of BRONJ. Only 8.9% (n=17) had correct response in all 5 BRONJ knowledge questions. Dental examination referral by medical doctors was implemented in below 30% of the total patients. At the time of bisphosphonate administration, specialist of oncology most highly recognized necessity of dental examination referral and it was represented in the order of endocrinology, rheumatology, family medicine, orthopedics specialists. As recognition of medical doctors for BRONJ and implementation level of dental referral were represented to be low, it is considered that enhancement of BRONJ recognition for medical doctors and development of high accessible education program for increasing implementation rate of dental examination referral would be required.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2011

Introduction: Bisphosphonates is used widely for the treatment of the Paget's disease, multiple myeloma, bone metastases of malignant tumors with the prevention of pain and their pathological fracture. However, it was recently suggested that bisphosphonates related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is a side effect of bisphosphonate use. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four individuals, who were referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery, Dankook University Dental Hospital, were selected from those who had exposed bone associated with bisphosphonates from January, 2005 to December, 2009 according to the criteria of American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) for BRONJ. The patients group consisted of 7 males and 17 females between the age of 46 to 78 years (average 61.8 years). Each patient had panoramic imaging, computed tomography (CT), whole body bone scanning performed for a diagnosis and biopsy sampling from the necrotizing tissue. C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX) level of patients who had undergone surgical intervention was measured 7 days before surgery. Results: The main cause of bone exposure was post-extraction (15), chronic periodontitis (4), persistent irritation of the denture (3). Twenty people had undergone BRONJ treatment for two to eight months except for 4 people who had to maintain the bisphosphonates treatment to prevent a metastasis and bone trabecular pain with medical treatment. When the bisphosphonate treatment was suspended at least for 3 months and followed up according to the AAOMS protocols, the exposed necrotizing bones were found to be covered by soft tissue. Conclusion: Prevention therapy, interruption of bisphophonates for at least 3 months and cooperation with the physician for conservative treatment are the essential for treating BRONJ patient with high risk factors. The CTX level of BRONJ patients should be checked before undergoing surgical intervention. Surgical treatments should be delayed in the case of a CTX level <150 pg/mL.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.302-309
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• 2013

Purpose: This study evaluated the prognosis of conservative and surgical treatment according to the staging of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of jaw (BRONJ) by American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. Methods: We evaluated 53 patients of BRONJ who visited Department of Dentistry, Ajou University School of Medicine from May 2007 to February 2013. Twenty eight patients in stage 2, were divided into surgical and conservative groups with cessation of bisphosphonate therapy. Fifteen patients belonged to the conservative treatment group, in which mouth rinsing and antibiotics medication were done. Thirteen patients were treated with debridement or sequestrectomy, in the surgical treatment group. Each study list was analyzed by SPSS ver. 14.0 (SPSS Inc., USA) software and the favorable rate was verified by the Fisher exact test. P-values less than 0.05% were deemed significant. Results: Clinical outcome was evaluated on the basis of both clinical and radiographic findings. Of all the 28 patients of stage 2, 15 patients underwent conservative treatment and 13 patients received surgical treatment. In the surgical group, 9 of 13 (69.2%) showed good prognosis, 4 of 13 (30.7%) showed recurrence. In the conservative group, 13 of 15 (86.6%) showed no change duting the follow-up period. Two of 15 patients even showed a bad prognosis, such as pain and pus discharge, which are criteria for stage 3. P-value was 0.067 (>0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present study suggests that surgical intervention is good choice against the conservative treatment, after proper drug holidays period, while further investigation is needed for a definite solution to BRONJ.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.470-476
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• 2011

Introduction: The incidence of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) has increased gradually in patients who have undergone surgical treatment for osteomyelitis. In this study, a retrospective analysis of BRONJ patients was carried out using the data of osteomyelitis patients treated surgically. Materials and Methods: Osteomyelitis patients, who underwent curettage, sequestrectomy, saucerization or decortications, and partial mandibulectomy at Seoul National University Dental Hospital from 2004 to 2010 were enrolled in this study. The patients were classified and categorized into two groups based on the surgical records and progress notes. One group comprised of patients with osteomyelitis and osteoporosis, and the other group included patients with osteomyelitis only. The epidemiological data of the BRONJ patients was analyzed to identify any trend in the incidence of BRONJ in osteomyelitis patients. Results: Among 200 patients who underwent surgical intervention for osteomyelitis, 64 (32.0%) were identified as having osteoporosis as the underlying disease. In these 64 patients, more than 81.3% had been prescribed bisphosphonates. Females were far more affected by BRONJ than males. The incidence of BRONJ also increased with age. The posterior part of the mandible was affected more frequently by BRONJ. Conclusion: Although the availability of potent antibiotics and increased oral hygiene care can reduce the overall incidence of osteomyelitis, BRONJ can increase the total incidence. To prevent BRONJ, it is recommended that an oral examination be performed before prescribing bisphosphonates. Moreover, the patients should be educated about the potential risks of dental procedures that might be causal factors for BRONJ. Furthermore, patient swho take bisphosphonates for the treatment of osteoporosis should undergo periodic follow up oral examinations to prevent BRONJ.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2011

Introduction: The utility of the C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide test (CTX) as a method for staging Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ) and its healing process was examined. Materials and Methods: A total 19 patients who were diagnosed with BRONJ underwent a fasted morning CTX test, were enrolled in this study. The serum CTX values ranged from 50 to 630 pg/mL (mean 60). The risk assessment was rated according to the CTX values of the individual patient (minimal risk, ${\geq}$ 150 pg/mL, moderate, 100 to 150 pg/mL, high, ${\leq}$100 pg/mL). The BRONJ scores were then calculated according to the number of BRONJ lesions and their stage. The operation was done as soon as possible, regardless of BORNJ stage. Results: The mean duration of bisphosphonate therapy was 4.1 years. Of the 19 patients, 15, 2 ans 2 received alendronate, risedronate and zoledronate, respecively. Of the 19 patients who underwent a sequestrectomy, saucerization and smoothing, 15 healed after the initial surgery, 1 patient healed after one more surgical procedure, 3 patients did not heal completely but showed improvement in symptoms. Therefore, 17 out of the 19 patients healed completely with complete mucosal coverage and the elimination of pain. The risk assessment using the CTX value and disease severity were not correlated (r=-0.264, P=0.275). In addition, the risk assessment using CTX value and healing after surgery were not correlated (r=-0.147, P=0.547). Conclusion: The serum CTX should be considered carefully by clinicians as part of overall management. Early surgical intervention is of benefit in the treatment of stage II BRONJ.