There are a few management techniques that a person diagnosed with osteonecrosis of the jaw can do to cope with this degenerative condition, medical experts say. These treatment options are recommended to patients for managing the symptoms for this condition even though, at the moment, there is no clear consensus for therapy, according to the American Academy of Oral Medicine. See here for a more detailed description of osteonecrosis of the jaw.
Osteonecrosis of the jaw is a rare and debilitating condition which, in recent research, has been attributed to bisphosphonate therapy. Bisphosphonates have been prescribed for treating various disorders affecting bone fragility and even cases involving complications from cancer treatment. In particular, intravenous therapy is implicated by experts as having a strong association with the increased occurrence of this disease.
Various methods of preventing osteonecrosis of the jaw include antimicrobial rinses, systemic antibiotics, and systemic and/or topical antifungals. Phsyician’s might also recommend that any bisphosphonate therapy be discontinued such as Fosamax or receiving intravenous bisphosphonate formulations for cancer treatment like Zolendronate or Pamidronate. If there is a need to perform any dental therapy, it might be necessary to either avoid it or only opt for non-invasive dental procedures such as a root canal instead of an extraction. This may be necessary because any injury or wounds sustained by a patient’s jaws or gums would heal slowly and potentially cause more harm than good.
If these techniques don’t treat the condition, then it may be necessary in most cases to prescribe surgery for the patient, particularly for debriding and removing necrotic debris and tissue to prevent further infection and damage. Experts agree that treating osteonecrosis of the jaw can take a very long time which means that any treatment is bound to be handled on a case to case basis tailored to suit the needs of the specific person.
Currently there is no data for definitively describing the benefits of discontinuing bisphosphonate therapy. Since recent findings by the FDA are unconvinced of the benefits of this treatment, federal regulators recommended that further studies be conducted to determine the liability and benefits of taking bisphosphonates like Fosamax.
If you or someone close to you has suffered any unforeseen injuries such as atypical bone fractures or osteonecrosis of the jaw from taking bisphosphonates like Fosamax, you are entitled to seek legal counsel to find out more about your options for compensation. Contact the Rottenstein Law Group now and ask them about filing a Fosamax class action lawsuit.
URL references:
- emedicine.medscape.com/article/1447355-treatment
- asheducationbook.hematologylibrary.org/content/2006/1/356.full