Dental News - Implant failure may be related to bisphosphonate use

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Implant failure may be related to bisphosphonate use

Implant patients should better stay away from bisphosphonate, research suggests. (DTI/Photo Dmitry Lobanov/Shutterstock)

Fri. 27 April 2012

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NEW YORK CITY, N.Y., USA: The results of a study conducted at the New York University College of Dentistry seem to confirm the hypothesis that the use of oral bisphosphonate is connected to dental implant failure. In the case-control study, more than 300 female patients with failed dental implants were compared with woman whose implants were still intact.

Clinical evaluations at the Department of Periodontology and Implant Dentistry were conducted between 1997 and late 2004. According to the researchers, the clinical data gathered from these examinations showed that in women whose implants had failed the odds of having taken bisphosphonate orally were almost three times higher. Dental implant failure related to the use of oral bisphosphonate also seemed to be more likely to occur in the maxilla.

Neither the quantity nor the duration of bisphosphonate use was evaluated.

Although the risk of implant failure is low, the researchers concluded that oral bisphosphonate could pose a risk to the success of dental implant therapy and should be prescribed with caution.

Earlier research on the association remains ambiguous, as results from Sweden and Australia have not found increased risks for implant failure when bisphosphonate was taken by patients before or after implant placement. However, the majority of clinical organizations still recommend that long-term users stop taking bisphosphonate before undergoing dental implant procedures to avoid complications.

Bisphosphonate, which is taken orally, is usually prescribed to patients suffering from osteoporosis. It can also be used intravenously as part of secondary bone cancer treatment.

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