Is Bisphosphonate Use For The Treatment Of Benign Bone Disease Associated With Impaired Dental Healing?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$238,160.00
Summary
Osteoporosis (OSP) is a common condition where bones are thin and may break (fracture). Currently, approximately 2 million Australians suffer from OSP. This figure will rise over the next 20 years as people age. Recommended drug treatment of OSP involves medication called bisphosphonates. Recent research, including a warning from the National Adverse Drug Reaction Committee, has suggested a possible association between bisphosphonates and bone breakdown in the jaw (osteonecrosis) - a devastating ....Osteoporosis (OSP) is a common condition where bones are thin and may break (fracture). Currently, approximately 2 million Australians suffer from OSP. This figure will rise over the next 20 years as people age. Recommended drug treatment of OSP involves medication called bisphosphonates. Recent research, including a warning from the National Adverse Drug Reaction Committee, has suggested a possible association between bisphosphonates and bone breakdown in the jaw (osteonecrosis) - a devastating condition for which no effective treatment exists. This study seeks to determine if bisphosphonate use for the treatment of OSP or other non-cancerous (benign) bone disease (eg Paget's disease) slows dental healing and increases the risk of jaw osteonecrosis. This has major implications and significant potential benefits for the large numbers of people with OSP taking bisphosphonates. Currently, the chance of dental complications during bisphosphonate therapy and what factors predispose to such complications remains unclear. Given the large numbers of people at risk, these are important issues that require urgent careful investigation. We want to determine if long-term (more than 2 years' duration) bisphosphonate treatment of OSP or other benign bone disease slows dental healing and leads to jaw osteonecrosis. We will use a case-control study design given the expected low likelihood of slowed dental healing. This design involves identifying patients with slowed dental healing (cases), and patients with normal dental healing (controls). Cases and controls will then be compared for bisphosphonate use to see if it is more likely that cases have been taking bisphosphonates. Our results will help guide treatment recommendations for these drugs both nationally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Tooth wear is a significant clinical problem for both older people who have kept their natural teeth and for some younger individuals. The main causes of tooth wear are attrition (resulting from tooth to tooth contact), abrasion (from dietary and environmental abrasives) and erosion (caused by acidic food and drinks or from regurgitation of acid). At present our understanding of the relative significance of these types of wear and the exact conditions under which excessive wear occurs is limited ....Tooth wear is a significant clinical problem for both older people who have kept their natural teeth and for some younger individuals. The main causes of tooth wear are attrition (resulting from tooth to tooth contact), abrasion (from dietary and environmental abrasives) and erosion (caused by acidic food and drinks or from regurgitation of acid). At present our understanding of the relative significance of these types of wear and the exact conditions under which excessive wear occurs is limited. Furthermore our understanding of the wear characteristics of many commonly used dental materials is limited. The proposed study will provide important new information about: the interaction between applied bite forces and acids in the oral environment as determinants of the rate of tooth wear; the potential for wear prevention using mouth rinses and gels; the wear characteristics of dental materials commonly used to restore teeth.Read moreRead less
A Clinical And Experimental Study Of The Biomechanical Factors Associated With Tooth Destruction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$241,527.00
Summary
This project investigates the influence of biting force on the development of non-carious and carious defects of teeth. Strain gauges will be cemented to the neck region of extracted teeth and teeth in the mouth, forces applied to the biting surfaces of the teeth, and the stress which results will be measured by the strain gauge. A profiling technique and high-power microscopy will be used to determine the amount of tooth structure lost as a result of applying the forces in the presence of acid. ....This project investigates the influence of biting force on the development of non-carious and carious defects of teeth. Strain gauges will be cemented to the neck region of extracted teeth and teeth in the mouth, forces applied to the biting surfaces of the teeth, and the stress which results will be measured by the strain gauge. A profiling technique and high-power microscopy will be used to determine the amount of tooth structure lost as a result of applying the forces in the presence of acid. In addition, a computer model will be generated, to determine whether it can be used to predict the stresses. In a clinical study, patients with and without non-carious defects will be followed for three years in order to assess the morphological changes and measure the volume loss of tooth structure which occurs.Read moreRead less