Research conducted at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry and published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research suggests that osteonecrosis of the jaw may be linked with an interaction between nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates and vitamin D function. Bisphosphonates are often prescribed for breast cancer, prostate cancer, myeloma, and osteoporosis, and an increased incidence of osteonecrosis of the jaw has been associated with the use of bisphosphonates. The study used a rat model of osteonecrosis of the jaw related to bisphosphonates and resembling the human disease. The study suggests that insufficient vitamin D has a major role in the manifestation and severity of this disease. The researchers hope that subsequent studies of the role of vitamin D will yield additional information that could help prevent and treat osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients who require bisphosphonate treatment.
(Source: UCLA Healthy Years, UCLA Division of Geriatrics, September 2010, Volume 7, Number 9)
