Title: Medication related osteonecrosis of the jaw 

Learning objectives 

1. To re-enforce foundation knowledge regarding medication related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) 
2. To identify the various drugs implicated in MRONJ 
3. To determine those patients at risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw 
4. To recognise a differing approach to treating patients 'at risk' or with established osteonecrosis 
5. To propose whether implants can be used in patients 'at risk' of MRONJ 

Speaker: Mr Vinod Patel 

Consultant (Oral Surgery)

BDS (Hons), MOralSurg RCS (Eng), FDSRCS, PhD

Mr Patel undertook his undergraduate BDS degree at Liverpool University in 2007 graduating with honours. This was followed by junior doctor posts in oral & maxillofacial surgery, head and neck surgery, oral surgery and oral medicine. He undertook his specialist oral surgery training at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital and was appointed a consultant in the Trust in 2016.  Currently he is the service lead for dental services in cancer at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital. 

Mr Patel’s clinical practice is focused around the oral and dental management of cancer patients before, during and after cancer care including late effects and complications. Within this field Mr Patel routinely manages established osteonecrosis of the jaw following radiotherapy (osteoradionecrosis – ORN) or drug related (medication related osteonecrosis of the jaw – MRONJ) or those ‘at risk’ of developing it if dental extractions are required. To date he has manages over 700 cases of established osteonecrosis of the jaw and treated over 1000 ‘at risk’ patients. His experience in the conditions led to being invited to the European MRONJ Taskforce. 

Mr Patel completed his PhD in 2020 researching around the oral and dental changes following head and neck radiation. He has published over 110 publications in peer reviewed journals and lectures widely at national and international conferences. His research was awarded the Triennial Webb-Johnson Award by the Royal College of Surgeons Faculty of Dental Surgery for its substantial contribution to basic science relevant to present and future oral health.