Allestimento di un modello osseo sperimentale in vitro per lo studio e la diagnosi della osteomielite dei mascelalri associata all'uso di aminobisfosfonati

The pathogenesis of jawbone disease in patients receiving amino-biphosphonates is largely unknown and the mechanisms by which biphosphonates could impair bone remodeling and angiogenesis in human jaws, is still uncertain.
In a preliminary study based on 35 patients with bisphosphonates associated jawbone disease (Bedogni A, et al. Biphosphonate-associated jawbone osteomyelitis: clinical, radiological and histological features of disease presented in part at the 11th ICOOC – International Congress on Oral Cancer, 14-17 May 2006, Grado – Italy) we showed that bisphosphonates associated jawbone disease may be a form of osteomyelitis with peculiar features, likely promoted by a traumatic injury and bone infection, and sustained by the altered biphosphonate-induced bone turnover. Necrotic bone would be the late fate of the osteomyelitic process, whereas histologically healthy bone is likely to be found at the boundaries of the diseased bone.
The aim of the project is to establish an experimental “in vitro” bone model for the study and diagnosis of bisphosphonate-associated jawbone osteomyelitis, in order to:
1-determine the role of nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates in the pathogenesis of jawbone osteomyelitis;
2-identify the peculiar histomorphologic and histomorphometric features of disease, if any.