Ultrasonic Navigation for the Treatment of Medication-Related Jaw Osteonecrosis Involving the Inferior Alveolar Nerve: A Case Report and Protocol Review

• Main Authors: Gerardo Pellegrino, Francesca Pavanelli, Agnese Ferri, Giuseppe Lizio, Roberto Parrulli, Claudio Marchetti
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: Methods and Protocols
• Subjects: MRONJ; dynamic navigation; ultrasonic instrumentation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9279/3/4/70

Dynamic navigation (DN) is a computer-guided technique employed in different surgical fields and recently adopted in dental implantology to improve the accuracy of dental implant insertion. Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ) often requires the surgical removal of the impaired, hard tissue, trying at the same time to spare the healthy tissue and the noble anatomical structures. A case of extensive bilateral medication-related osteonecrosis, with the symptomatic involvement of the right mandibular canal, was successfully resolved with the use of ultrasonic surgery associated with a dynamic navigation, in order to limit the invasiveness of the surgical approach improving its reliability and accuracy. The usefulness of this technology in the management of MRONJ can be considered in future clinical trials to confirm the advantages and standardize the technique.