What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate hyperbaric oxygen as an adjunct to surgery and antibiotics for bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.
What They Found
Seventeen of 25 HBO-treated patients (68%) improved compared to 8 of 21 controls (38.1%), a statistically significant difference (P = .043). Mean time to improvement was 39.7 weeks for HBO-treated patients versus 67.9 weeks for controls (P = .03), though complete gingival healing was not significantly different between groups.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients with bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw, adding hyperbaric oxygen to conventional treatment may lead to a higher chance of improvement and faster recovery. This could potentially enhance their quality of life and reduce pain associated with the condition.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no stated Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this study is that complete gingival healing was not significantly improved with hyperbaric oxygen treatment compared to standard therapy.