Dental Implant Placement in Patients With a History of Medications Related to Osteonecrosis of the Jaws: A Systematic Review.

The present systematic review evaluates the safety of placing dental implants in patients with a history of antiresorptive or antiangiogenic drug therapy. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, Web of Science, and OpenGrey databases were used to search for clinical studies (English only) to July 16, 2019. Study quality was assessed regarding randomization, allocation sequence concealment, blinding, incomplete outcome data, selective outcome reporting, and other biases using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale and the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for case series. A broad search strategy resulted in the identification of 7542 studies. There were 28 studies reporting on bisphosphonates (5 cohort, 6 case control, and 17 case series) and 1 study reporting on denosumab (case series) that met the inclusion criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis. The quality assessment revealed an overall moderate quality of evidence among the studies. Results demonstrated that patients with a history of bisphosphonate treatment for osteoporosis are not at increased risk of implant failure in terms of osseointegration. However, all patients with a history of bisphosphonate treatment, whether taken orally for osteoporosis or intravenously for malignancy, appear to be at risk of "implant surgery-triggered" medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). In contrast, the risk of MRONJ in patients treated with denosumab for osteoporosis was found to be negligible. In conclusion, general and specialist dentists should exercise caution when planning dental implant therapy in patients with a history of bisphosphonate and denosumab drug therapy. Importantly, all patients with a history of bisphosphonates are at risk of MRONJ, necessitating this to be included in the informed consent obtained before implant placement.

Comparison of cone-beam computed tomography and panoramic imaging in assessing the relationship between posterior maxillary tooth roots and the maxillary sinus: A systematic review.

The objective of the present systematic review was to analyze research articles that compare the accuracy of panoramic imaging to cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in assessing the relationship between posterior maxillary tooth roots and the maxillary sinus. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using various databases. Initial searching yielded 64 results, and after exclusion, five full-text articles were eligible. All were cohort studies, and the CBCT and panoramic images were either obtained from a pre-existing database or patients were recruited specifically for the study. Analysis showed that a panoramic image is sufficient for accurately detecting when the roots are at distinct distance from the sinus. However, if the roots are either laterally or medially projecting over the sinus and "just touching" it, panoramic images generally misinterpret this position, and instead make the root appear to be in the sinus. There were mixed results for when the root tip penetrates the sinus. Some studies claimed there was high agreeance between both modalities in this situation, while others had a low level of agreeance. In these situations, ordering a CBCT should be strongly considered to properly assess oral surgery risk with regard to maxillary posterior teeth.