Abstract
Clinical investigation was conducted on 10 patients in whom osteoradionecrosis developed after irradiation for intraoral cancer.
(1) The patients were 4 males and 6 females whose ages ranged from 39 to 79 years (mean 55 years).
(2) Onset of osteoradionecrosis was from 1 to 42 months after irradiation (mean about 10 months). This complication occurred more rapidly in patients undergoing combination radiotherapy and chemotherapy than in patients undergoing radiotherapy alone.
(3) This complication occurred most frequently in the bone body of the lower jaw and was found in accordance with the tumorous region.
(4)It is said that even an external irradiation of about 6, 000 rad sometimes impedes healing or regeneration of the tooth socret. As a matter of fact, osteoradionecrosis was found in 3 patients who had received extraction prior to irradiation.
(5) Nine patients underwent surgical treatment. Hemimandibulectomy and immediate reconstruction were performed in 2 of these 9 patients.
