Lack of correlation between duration of osteonecrosis of the jaw and sequestra tissue morphology: what it tells us about the condition and what it means for future studies.

PURPOSE: More studies have begun to investigate properties of tissue obtained from patients with osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). Because of the relatively low incidence of ONJ, these studies necessitate the use of specimens from patients who have had ONJ for various durations. The goal of this study was to determine if properties, specifically bone morphology assessed by microcomputed tomography, were influenced by the duration of ONJ. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sequestra from 31 patients with confirmed ONJ for 3 weeks to 42 months before obtaining the tissue were scanned using microcomputed tomography to determine bone volume/tissue volume and bone surface/tissue volume. RESULTS: There was no significant correlation between the sequestra bone morphology (bone volume/tissue volume or bone surface/tissue volume) and the duration of ONJ. CONCLUSION: The findings indicated that studies should not be concerned about assessing tissue properties from patients who have had ONJ for different durations. In addition, the lack of difference in morphology with continued duration of ONJ suggests that most changes to bone tissue occur early in the disease progression.