Five Things Every Healthcare Professional Should Know About Bisphosphonates and ONJ

Sunday Session

Program Track: Periodontal-Systemic Relationships
Moderator: Susan Karabin
Speaker: Angelo Mariotti

It has a name, but no one knows for sure what to call it. It is an osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), but the natural course and spectrum of clinical outcomes remains a mystery. There have been numerous reports in the literature, but the incidence and prevalence in the general population remains uncertain. It has been known to occur in patients taking a specific drug, yet the etiology is unclear. Since we do not know its cause, we are naïve on how best to prevent it, and when it does occur, naïve on how to treat it. This course will provide an evidencebased approach regarding what is currently known about drug-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw.