2017 Volume 16 Issue 2 Pages 75-80
Although radiation therapy (RT) is the indispensable treatment for head and neck malignancies, one of serious complications is osteoradionecrosis of the jaw (ORN). The most well-known causative factor is surgical trauma (e.g., tooth extraction). We here report a case of osteoradionecrosis of the jaw around dental implants. A 68-year-old female underwent surgery and postoperative chemoradiotherapy for adenoid cystic carcinoma of the left submandibular gland. Three years after RT, she suffered from the right mandibular peri-implant infection, and visited to our department. We diagnosed ORN around the dental implants which were inserted before RT. The long-term conservative treatments such as the oral administration of antibiotics and the local irrigation were performed. Five years after RT, the sequestration with dental implants was removed under the local anaesthesia.
In general, ORN is difficult to be treated, and the treatment should be determined according to severity of accompanying symptoms and patient's general condition, etc. For prevention of ORN, the strict oral management to maintain good hygiene around dental implants is essential.
