Osteoporosis Meds and Dental Surgery
Q: I need some teeth pulled and some implants, but have heard medication I take for osteoporosis can put me in danger of getting complications in my jawbone. Should I be worried? Doris in Wellington
A: Sometimes the media gets on a topic like orange on a Home Depot apron. They just love juicy stories that scare the public half to death.
A comprehensive article in the November Journal of the American Dental Association now sets the guideline straight. “The prevalence of patients getting ONJ (osteonecrosis of the jaw: areas of dead bone that protrude through the gum tissue.) Is .10 percent”. (As in one 1/10th of one percent i.e. small.) And, “no validated diagnostic test including the CTX test, predicts a patient’s risk level of developing ONJ. There is insufficient evidence to recommend a holiday form these drugs (Boniva, Aredia, Actonel, Fosamex, etc.) or waiting periods before performing dental treatment for prevention of ONJ”. If you have any questions please give us a call at 239-936-5252.