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Is dental clearance necessary before antiresorptive treatment in pediatric patients?
Timothy W Neal1, Sayyed Mohseni1, Victoria Ratcliffe1
1Department of Surgery, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, UT Southwestern/Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, TX, USA.
Introduction:
This study aimed to determine if there was a difference in the frequency of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ) between pediatric patients who obtained dental clearance and those who didn't obtain dental clearance before the start of antiresorptive therapy. The secondary aim was to assess the effect of dental clearance on future dental follow-up after the start of antiresorptive treatment.
Materials And Methods:
The study population was composed of patients less than 18 years of age who received antiresorptive treatment from 2010 to 2024 at Children's Medical Center Dallas.
Results:
There were 88 subjects in the clearance group and 48 in the no-clearance group. No cases of MRONJ were observed in either group. The clearance group mean dental visits per year after the start of antiresorptive therapy was 1.21 (SD 0.96), and 0.55 (0.65) for the no-clearance group. There was a significant difference between the two groups (P = .0002).
Discussion:
No cases of MRONJ were observed in the present study. In pediatric patients who receive dental clearance prior to the start of antiresorptive medications, there is an association with continued routine dental follow-up.
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