Warning for women on bisphosphonates

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Bone-strengthening drugs may occasionally have the opposite effect and cause osteonecrosis.
There have been recent reports of a connection between bone-strengthening drugs and osteonecrosis, the death of tissue in the jawbone. Most cases have involved those taking the bisphosphonate drugs for bone pain in cancer but a few have involved healthy women taking bisphosphonates for osteoporosis.

Doctors at Harvard Medical School point out that though bisphosphonates do increase bone density in the short term - and so are useful in osteoporosis - they can also impair new bone formation. This may reduce the capacity of the jawbone to heal after dental treatment. They advise that the symptoms of osteonecrosis include pain, swelling and numbness at the site of oral surgery. The benefits of bisphosphonates generally outweigh this advantage. But women taking them should mention it to their dentist before treatment and maybe consider a break from bisphosphonate therapy if undergoing major dental work. Meanwhile, research into why bisphosphonates cause osteonecrosis is ongoing.

Source
Havard Women's Health Watch September 2006

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