[Dento-alveolar surgery of the irradiated jaw: is infected osteoradionecrosis a preventable complication?]

In spite of preventive procedures before, during and after radiotherapy, profound caries and periodontal breakdown of healthy teeth occur. In the course of dentoalveolar surgery in the region of irradiated bone, the risk of development of an infected osteoradionecrosis can be reduced by prophylactic antibodies, prevention of extensive detaching of the periosteum careful osteotomy or extraction, complete smoothing of sharp alveolar ridges and epiperiosteal plastic coverage. When extensive dentoalveolar surgery is necessary, the application of prophylactic pre- and postoperative hyperbaric oxygen may reduce the rate of complications even more.