Information for bisphosphonate patients
Risk case for dental treatment
Your doctor (rheumatologist) will treat you with a highly effective drug from the bisphosphonate group.
These are used for the following clinical pictures:
- Skeletal metastases
- Tumor-induced hypercalcemia
- Osteoporosis
- Calcium metabolic diseases such as hyperparathyroidism
- Paget's disease
- Pain therapy
Osteoporosis is always a risk during dental treatment, especially during oral surgery and tooth removal. This risk is increased by osteoporosis medication, especially bisphosphonate injections. They can cause bone wounds and jaw necrosis (bone resorption) after the treatments.
Although the side effect profile of bisphosphonate has been considered favorable for years, there has been an increase in cases of bisphosphonate (BP)-induced jaw necrosis (jaw resorption) under bisphosphonate medication since 2003. There is a particularly high risk of BP-associated jaw necrosis, especially in patients who have received intravenous BP medication due to an underlying malignant disease.
This clinical picture initially manifests itself with soft tissue swelling in the oral cavity, loosening of the teeth or areas of exposed jawbone.
Our dental clinic cannot perform any surgical procedures or tooth extractions for bisphosphonate patients. Our clinic cannot take the risk. For those patients who are about to undergo bisphosphonate therapy, we recommend a thorough examination and Treatment at the University Hospital Vienna (or AKH).
