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Osteonecrosis of the jaw is a well-described complication of high-dose IV bisphosphonate therapy for cancer. However, clinicians and researchers continue to debate whether low-dose oral bisphosphonates, prescribed for osteoporosis, also can cause jaw osteonecrosis. In early 2008, we published a brief review on this topic (JW Gen Med Apr 8 2008). Since then, several case series have been published in which jaw osteonecrosis occurred during oral bisphosphonate therapy; this latest report, from Italy, involves 24 women.
The women (mean age, 72) had been taking oral bisphosphonates (usually alendronate) for 11 to 40 months, which is a somewhat shorter duration than has been reported previously. The triggering event for osteonecrosis was usually …