Mandibular osteomyelitis remains a poorly understood entity. A principal reason for this is a continued lack of consistent categorization of the disease process. Further complicating misunderstanding is the fact that microscopic characteristics cannot reliably be used to discriminate between osteomyelitis, osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), osteoradionecrosis (ORN), osteitis deformans and even some benign fibro-osseus lesions. The long-standing treatment paradigm for infectious mandibular osteomyelitis is a combination of surgery and antimicrobial therapy. Within this paradigm, some clinicians highlight the importance of the medical management while others focus on specific surgical techniques. In this session, participants will be exposed to a thorough review of the understanding of mandibular osteomyelitis and will be supplied treatment algorithms for curative disease management.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this presentation, participants should be able to:
Describe the Zurich Classification of mandibular osteomyelitis and explain how classification affects treatment.
Demonstrate appropriate surgical therapy for cure of mandibular osteomyelitis.
Identify criteria for success in treatment of mandibular osteomyelitis.
Construct an algorithm for the cure of mandibular osteomyelitis based upon patient, disease, and institutional factors.
Compare and contrast the management of osteomyelitis with other bony pathology including osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and osteoradionecrosis (ORNJ).