Purpose of review: To describe current standard of care for osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the mandible and report possible future trends.
Recent findings: Cutting guides may be used to reduce surgical time and possibly improve outcomes. There has also been recent investigation into the use of pentoxifylline and tocopherol or pentoxifylline, tocopherol and clodronate (a well known conservative medial regime) as a prevention for development of ORN after dental extractions and the first randomized controlled study is upcoming. Augmented reality has shown promise as a comparable and inexpensive possible alternative to cutting guides.
Summary: Current standard of care involves conservative/supportive therapy with antioxidants, antibiotics, steroids, and pain control for low-grade ORN with surgery reserved for high-grade/progressive ORN with refractory to conservative therapy and with significant oral dysfunction.