The patient of a periodontist in private practice in New Orleans, LA, developed osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), a condition that can cause severe, often irreversible and debilitating damage to the jaw, following periodontal surgical therapy. Two years prior to surgery, the patient had started receiving IV bisphosphonate therapy, or bone-sparing drugs commonly used in the treatment of osteoporosis and metastatic bone cancer to help decrease associated pain and fractures, following treatment for breast carcinoma. When the patient presented to the periodontist, no reports of ONJ had been reported in the literature. This case report is published in the April issue of the Journal of Periodontology (JOP).

Caregivers of people under psychological or physical stress, as well as those with the conditions themselves, should not overlook their oral health, according to a new study printed in the Journal of Periodontology.

Salivary melatonin may play an important role in maintaining periodontal health, according to a new study published in the Journal of Periodontology. This is one of the first attempts to examine the influence of salivary melatonin upon periodontal disease, an inflammation that destroys the tissues and bone that support the teeth.