Re: Bisphosphonates

I would think it would be prudent for patients who are being put on
these medications to at the very least take cake of all their dental
problem and be clear of any dental complicaions as a result of dental
treatment for a period of at the very least 2 years before initiating
these meds. Because once they start these meds and another dental
problem arises they automatically become part of the statistics.

Hummy wrote:
But ONJ in these cases is not rare, and it is a
condition with a significant morbidity itself, an no--that's
ZERO--effective treatment at this time.

Steve

Hi Steve,
I appreciate your response. Yes, I agree that ONJ has a significant
morbidity with no cure at this time. We surely don't have the full
picture yet. Still, I try to stay current with women's health issues.
Just so you know from where I get my information, here is what I am
being told in the current issue of my Harvard Women's Health
Newsletter:

Since we last wrote about this problem, more cases of osteonecrosis
have been reported. Most have occurred among cancer patients taking
intravenous bisphosphonates, but a handful have involved otherwise
healthy women taking oral forms of these drugs for osteoporosis
prevention or treatment...
...Compared to the millions of women taking bisphosphonates, the number
of osteonecrosis cases is still negligible. The American Dental
Association estimates the prevalence to be only about 0.7 cases per
100,000 person years. That translates to 7 cases per year for every one
million people taking oral bisphosphonates. The risk is mostly among
cancer patients taking zoledronate or pamidronate. To further
investigate the extent of the problem among otherwise healthy women
taking bisphosphonates, researchers at the Harvard School of Dental
Medicine are examining medical insurance claims for jaw surgery. Also,
the National Institute of Dental Research plans to study the
development of the condition in bisphosphonate-takers...

Hummy

.

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