ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To explore whether differences exist in the clinical and radiographic presentation of oncologic vs osteoporotic patients with medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). METHODS: We retrospectively assessed panoramic radiographs and CBCT examinations of 70 MRONJ patients receiving antiresorptive medications for the management of either osteoporosis or bone malignancy. Radiographic features of MRONJ were documented and categorized according to severity. A composite radiographic index (CRI) was constructed to account for the heterogeneity in radiographic manifestations of MRONJ and further stratify extent of osseous changes. RESULTS: Patients with osteoporosis were mostly older females and presented more frequently with Stage 2 MRONJ, while patients with malignancy were equally distributed between males and females, and presented mostly with Stage 1 MRONJ. Most MRONJ lesions in oncologic patients occurred in the mandible, whereas the maxilla and mandible were equally affected in osteoporotic patients. Patients with minimal radiographic changes (low CRI score) often presented with MRONJ in dentate areas, while most patients in medium and high CRI groups presented with MRONJ after recent tooth extraction. The low CRI group consisted of primarily oncologic patients, while osteoporotic vs oncologic patients were divided more evenly in the other CRI groups (p = 0.083). While CRI scores increased with clinical staging, a Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of 0.49 suggests that clinical appearance does not reliably predict osseous changes. CONCLUSIONS: Our data identify differences in the MRONJ appearance of patients with osteoporosis vs malignancy and emphasize the significance of detailed radiographic assessment, in addition to the clinical appearance, in characterizing the osseous changes of the disease.
