July - September 2014, Volume 10, Issue 3

Dinca O, Bucur MB, Bodnar D, Vladan C , Bucur A

Extensive Osteonecrosis of the Mandible after Therapy with Denosumab Following Bisphosphonates Therapy

Acta Endo (Buc) 2014, 10 (3): 457-462
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2014.457

Background. We describe a case of denosumab-related osteonecrosis of the jaw in a 58-year-old patient with a diagnosis of osteoporosis, treated with Denosumab and a short-time course of bisphosphonates. This case illustrates that use of anti-RANKL agents can lead to a type of osteonecrosis resembling bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws, so this medical condition can be categorized as of antiresorptive - induced osteonecrosis of the jaw. The consensus of present day medical opinion is that the benefits of antiresorptive therapy outweigh the disadvantages. However, to provide optimal management for individual patients, the risk-benefit ratio of osteoporosis therapy must be repeatedly assessed at all stages of a patient’s treatment, and therapeutic decisions taken in the light of the ratio as it applies to the individual.

Keywords: osteonecrosis of the jaws, denosumab, bisphosphonates, osteoporosis.

Correspondence: Alexandru Bucur MD, PhD, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest - Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Plevnei 17-21, Bucharest, 010221, Romania, E-mail: crystalvladan@gmail.com