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Updated: Mar 8, 2026

A Novel Method to Determine the Longitudinal Antibacterial Activity of Drug-Eluting Materials
Published on: March 3, 2023
Bacterial diversity in medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw
Fredrik Hallmer1, Tore Bjørnland2, Gunilla Andersson3
1Consultant, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Malmö University, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö, Sweden.
Objective:
The aim was to study the association between microflora and medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) by using culture-independent molecular techniques to detect bacteria in necrotic bone lesions.
Study Design:
Included were 18 consecutive patients with MRONJ, 10 with osteoporosis and 8 cancer patients. Bone biopsies were retrieved from the center of the necrotic bone and from visually healthy bone, and 16 S rRNA gene fragments from bacterial DNA were amplified with polymerase chain reaction.
Results:
The study revealed a diversity of bacteria represented by 16 S rRNA sequences in all the necrotic bone samples and in 60% of the visually healthy bone. Eight dominating taxa groups were identified at the genus level: Porphyromonas, Lactobacillus, Tannerella, Prevotella, Actinomyces, Treponema, Streptococcus, and Fusobacterium.
Conclusions:
The necrotic bone lesions contained mainly anaerobic bacteria, representative of periodontal microflora, suggesting that a periodontal infection in combination with antiresorptive treatment could initiate osteonecrosis.
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