Osteonecrosis

Dead Jaw is a severe bone disease that affects the jaws. When the blood flow is restricted, the jaw bone tissue dies, as result, causing infection, swelling and teeth loosening. Often people need long term antibiotic therapy or surgery to remove the dying bone tissue.

Fosamax a bisphosphonate drug has been linked to dead jaw. Other bisphosphonate drugs are Aredia and Zometa. An increasing number of cases of bisphosphonate related dead jaw are being reported to the U.S. FDA.

Women suffering from post menopausal bone mass deprivation or loss of bone density (Osteoporosis) are prescribed Fosamax. [...]

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Osteocrenosis of the Jaw (ONJ) is a condition in which the jaw bone becomes dead because of a lack of blood supply. Osteo means bone and necrosis means death. Due to lack of blood, the jaw bone (mandible) begins to die, causing pain and deterioration. ONJ has been associated with radiation ,infection, steroid use or bisphosphonate therapy. [...]

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ONJ is a common term used to reference Osteonecrosis of the Jaw, a painful bone related condition that results in death of the jaw.  In this case, the affected jaw bone is unable to repair itself as there is no sufficient blood supply. Blood supply to the jaw bone is affected when an accidental injury during the course of a dental treatment, causes exposure of the jaw bone. Treatment is initiated to rectify the exposure of the bone but a delay in healing causes the bone tissues to die leading to a cut off in the blood supply to the region. Jaw bone without the capability to repair itself subsequently collapses leading to the condition called ONJ or Dead Jaw. ONJ causes both emotional agony and physical trauma as it creates facial deformation, extreme pain and the individual loses the capacity to chew food and perform oral activities in the absence of jaw bones.

One of the causes of ONJ is claimed to be the effect of treatment involving Biphosphonate drugs such as Fosamax. A study on Fosamax induced Osteonecrosis of Jaw in December 2008 reveals that prevalence of ONJ in patients under the treatment of Fosamax is understated in previous research studies. Fosamax is a Biphosphonate drug used in treating bone related disorders like fractures, thinning of bones (osteoporosis) etc. Fosamax can be injected or administered orally to the patients with bone infections or injuries. [...]

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Jaw necrosis, or Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is commonly known as dead jaw, a term that signifies the impact of the disease on the jaw. Accidental injury to the bone tissue during tooth extraction or onset of tooth infections prevents sufficient blood to flow to the affected area. This in turn causes the bone tissues to die and the jaw bone loses its strength and disintegrates leading to the condition called dead jaw.

Dead jaw makes it difficult to chew solids and causes disfigurement of the face. Fosamax is a Biphosponate drug mainly used in the treatment of Osteoporosis (thinning of bone). Fosomax is prescribed in cases of delayed healing problems, tooth extraction related infections and osteoporosis onset in women in menopausal stage. Jaw Necrosis is claimed to be one of the critical side effect of the drug Fosamax

Tooth Infections, inadvertent bone exposure in dental treatment process and delay in healing after tooth extraction creates a condition where the blood supply does not reach the affected region. In the absence of blood supply, new cells cannot be produced by the body and so the affected tissue does not heal, thus leading to bone degeneration. This subsequently develops into Osteonecrosis of the jaw. [...]

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