Dental pathologies in tumor patients with bone metastases or multiple myeloma scheduled for antiresorptive therapy

Background: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a potentially severe complication of mainly antiresorptive drugs. We evaluated the frequency of dentoalveolar pathologies in patients scheduled for antiresorptive therapy in a ‘real-world’ setting, also including patients with poor oral health potentially requiring tooth extractions and/or other dentoalveolar surgery. This approach is in contrast to the setting of recent randomized trials with restrictive exclusion criteria. Patients & methods: We prospectively included patients suffering from solid tumors with osseous metastases or multiple myeloma. Screening for dentoalveolar pathologies was done prior to initiation of antiresorptive therapy at the specialized MRONJ clinic of the University Hospital for Cranio-Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Innsbruck, Austria. Results: 119 subjects could be included. In 76 patients (63.9%), a dental focus was revealed including deep caries (24.4% of patients), chronic apical periodontitis (26.9%), periodontal disease (45.8%), root remnants (16%), jaw cysts (2.5%), partially impacted teeth (5.0%) and peri-implantitis (5.0%). Conclusion: Considering the high number of dentoalveolar pathologies (63.9%), systematic dental focus screening prior to initiation of antiresorptive therapy is of utmost importance to lower the risk for MRONJ.

Sunitinib és zoledronsav által indukált állcsont-osteonecrosis

The tendency for bisphosphonate and non-bisphosphonate (eg.: antiresorptive or anti-angiogenesis drugs) induced osteonecrosis is increasing. Treatment of these patients is a challenge both for dentists and for oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Cooperation with the drug prescribing general medicine colleagues to prevent osteonecrosis is extremely important. Furthermore, prevention should include dental focus elimination, oral hygienic instructions and education, dental follow-up and, in case of manifest necrosis, referral to maxillofacial departments. Authors outline the difficulties of conservative and surgical treatment of a patient with sunitinib and zoledronic acid induced osteonecrosis. The patient became symptomless and the operated area healed entirely six and twelve months postoperatively. A long term success further follow-up is necessary to verify long-term success. Orv. Hetil., 2015, 156(46), 1865–1870.

An Anthropological Perspective: Another Dimension to Modern Dental Wear Concepts

For many years, research on tooth wear by dental academics has been diametrically opposite to that of anthropological research, with each discipline having a different understanding as to the nature of the wear processes. Dental focus revolved around preventive and restorative considerations while the anthropological focus was a biological understanding related to human evolution, diet, environment, form, and function and included all the craniofacial structures. Introducing the anthropological perspective into modern dentistry gives an insight into the “bigger picture” of the nature and extent of tooth wear. By combining anthropological evidence with clinical knowledge and experience, it is most likely to provide the best-informed and biologically based approach to the management of tooth wear in modern societies.