Summary
Radiotherapy is an established treatment modality in the management of malignant disease of the head and neck but promotes a significant marrow fibrosis and a paucity of cells as well as the ghosts of old blood vessels consistent with the concept of hypocellular–hypovascular–hypoxic tissue. The purpose of this article is to report a case of mandibular osteoradionecrosis (ORN) after dental extraction in a patient who had received radiotherapy. A 41-year-old male is presented with a history of squamous cell carcinoma in advanced stages of the floor of the mouth, staged T4N2M0, treated with concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy with 70 Gy of intensity modulate RT (IMRT). One month after IMRT, the patient presented with severe left tooth mandibular pain which was extracted. He was admitted to the Hospital da Cidade de Passo Fundo/RS, Brasil with complaint of infection of the left mandible with parapharyngeal abscess. The patient was diagnosed with osteoradionecrosis and treated with surgical procedure for removal of necrotic bone; the patient died 45 days following the last contact due to very advanced stage of the disease. The current risk of developing ORN is assumed to have declined. Good oral health status, especially after radiotherapy, is very important in the prevention of ORN. Teeth with unrestorable caries, those with periapical radiolucencies, or gross periodontal disease should be extracted before radiotherapy.
KEY WORDS: jaw, squamous cell carcinoma, radioterapy, osteonecrosis.
How to cite this article
RUI, G.; RETTORE, C.; DE BONA, M. C.; LAZARETTI, N.; CRUSIUS, M. U. & DE CONTO, F. Pathological fracture due to mandibular osteoradionecrosis: A case report. Int. J. Odontostomat., 8(1):113-118, 2014.
