CASE REPORTS - Osteonecrosis of the jaw secondary to Fosamax

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Rev Med Chil. 2009 Feb;137(2):275-9. Epub 2009 Jun 10.

[Osteonecrosis of the jaw secondary to oral alendronate: Report of three cases]

Bocanegra-Pérez S, Vicente-Barrero M, Sosa-Henríquez M, Gebaguer

Blanco A, Knezevic M, Castellano-Navarro JM.

Atención Primaria del Servicio Canario de Salud, Hospital

Universitario Insular, Las Palmas, España.

Osteonecrosis of the jaw associated to biphosphonate use is more

common in cancer patients with bone metastases, that are using

intravenous diphosphonates. When these drugs are used orally the risk

of the complication is lower. We report 3 diabetic women aged 69, 76

and 82 years, receiving alendronate 70 mg every one week. The

unveiling event was the extraction of several teeth without the use of

antibiotics. All had bone pain, purulent discharge, loss of bone and

halitosis. All improved five months after discontinuing alendronate.

PMID: 19543652

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19543652

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