If you have ONJ you will need to see a Maxillofacial Surgeon. One of the treatment options for ON of the Jaw is hyperbaric medicine. I do not have ON of the Jaw but when I was living with my parents in PA I went to their dentist who trained at Temple University in Philadelphia. The dentist said during training in dental school he had worked with many patients with ON of the Jaw. As part of the patient’s treatment plan they often recommended hyperbaric treatment for ONJ with successful results. If you have ON of the Jaw I think it’s something you should DEFINITELY look into.
Here is a recent paper released in July 2012 by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons concerning Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment:
The email of one of the contributing doctors is listed below. It never hurts to contact someone!
What is the role of hyperbaric oxygen in the management of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: a randomized controlled trial of hyperbaric oxygen as an adjunct to surgery and antibiotics.
Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. john.freiberger@duke.edu
This study tested hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) as an adjunct to surgery and antibiotics in the treatment of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and evaluated its effects on gingival healing, pain, and quality of life.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
The investigators implemented a randomized controlled trial and enrolled a sample composed of patients with ONJ, where the predictor variable was HBO administered at 2 atm twice a day for 40 treatments as an adjunct to conventional therapy of surgery and antibiotics versus conventional therapy alone. Over the next 24 months, oral lesion size and number, pain, and quality of life were assessed.
RESULTS:
Forty-six patients (mean age, 66 yrs; 57% women) contributed data to the trial. There were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of variables used to assess randomization success between the HBO and standard treatment groups. Seventeen of 25 HBO-treated patients (68%) improved versus 8 of 21 controls (38.1%; P = .043, χ(2) test). Mean time to improvement was 39.7 weeks (95% confidence interval [CI], 22.4 to 57.0 weeks) for HBO-treated patients versus 67.9 weeks (95 CI, 48.4 to 87.5 weeks) for controls (P = .03, log-rank test). However, complete gingival healing occurred in only 14 of 25 HBO-treated patients (52%) versus 7 of 21 controls (33.3%; P = .203, χ(2) test), and time to healing was 59 weeks (95% CI, 42.8% to 75.8%) for HBO-treated patients versus 70 weeks (95 CI, 52.2% to 88.36%) for controls (P = .32, log-rank test). Pain decreased faster for HBO-treated subjects (P < .01, linear regression). Quality-of-life scores for physical health (P = .002) and perceived health (P = .043) decreased at 6 months for control group but for not the HBO group.
CONCLUSIONS:
ONJ is multifactorial and no single treatment modality is likely to reverse it; however, it is treatable and even advanced presentations can improve with intensive multimodal therapy. Clinically, HBO appears to be a useful adjunct to ONJ treatment, particularly for more severe cases, although this study was underpowered to fully support this claim.
Osteonecrosis (Avascular Necrosis) 